Baseball Game Preview: Clinton Arrows vs. Florence Eagles

Clinton has gone a perfect 4-0 against Florence recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Thursday. The Arrows will challenge the Eagles at 6:00 p.m. Clinton is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.5 runs per game this season.

Florence will square off against a team with plenty of momentum: Clinton extended their winning streak to three on Tuesday. The Arrows put the hurt on Pearl with a sharp 7-0 win. Seven seems to be a good number for the Arrows as the squad scooped up a victory with the same number of runs in their previous game.

The result came thanks to Brady Holmes's shutout, as he gave up just three hits and racked up eight Ks. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one walk in four consecutive appearances.

At the plate, the team relied heavily on Chad Bates, who went 3-for-4 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in April of 2025. Ryder Wilson also deserves some recognition as he scored his first run of the season.

Meanwhile, Florence entered their matchup against Pisgah on Thursday without any home losses, but there's a first time for everything. The Eagles lost 10-3 to the Dragons. Eagles fans who chose to attend the game sure picked the wrong one: it was the first time the team has lost against the Dragons since Thursday.

Austin Pickett made the most of his time in the batter's box despite the final result and went 1-for-3 with two RBI and one double.

Clinton's win bumped their record up to 5-1. As for Florence, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-2-2.

The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Clinton has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Florence struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.3 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.

Clinton skirted past Florence 4-3 in their previous matchup back in March of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Arrows since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.