The Cumberland Clippers will challenge the Lincoln Lions at 4:45 p.m. on Friday. The timing is sure in Cumberland's favor as the squad sits on three straight wins at home while Lincoln has been banged up by seven consecutive losses on the road.
If Cumberland beats Lincoln with seven runs on Friday, it's going to be the team's new lucky number: they've won their past two games with that exact score. The Clippers walked away with a 7-2 win over Mt. Hope on Wednesday. The victory continues a trend for the Clippers in their matchups with the Huskies: they've now won four in a row.
Cumberland got a great performance from Marcus Gomes as he tossed six innings while giving up just two earned runs off six hits. The dominant performance also gave Gomes a new career-high in strikeouts (four).
At the plate, Tyler Hurteau was excellent, going 2-for-3 with two runs and one double. Gabriel Niman was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two RBI and one run.
Meanwhile, Lincoln didn't have quite enough to beat La Salle Academy on Thursday and fell 4-3.
Logan Xiarhos was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he tossed six innings while giving up three earned runs off four hits.
On the hitting side, Caden Oldham made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 3-for-4 with one stolen base and one run. That stolen base was his first of the season.
Cumberland's win bumped their record up to 13-4. As for Lincoln, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-12.
Lincoln's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Cumberland hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .322. It's a different story for Lincoln, though, as they've only averaged .221. Will they be able to contain Cumberland's hitters?
Cumberland came out on top in a nail-biter against Lincoln when the teams last played back in May of 2024, sneaking past 3-2. Will the Clippers repeat their success, or do the Lions have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
