The Buchholz Bobcats will venture away from home to face off against the Suwannee Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Buchholz has eight straight victories, Suwannee has three straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Buchholz took a 11-run defeat the last time they faced off against Trinity Christian Academy, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. Buchholz beat Trinity Christian Academy on Tuesday by the very same score they won with in their prior game: 5-3.
Wyatt Clarke looked comfortable as he tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been consistent : he hasn't given up more than two hits in seven consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Blake Brewer was excellent, scoring a run while going 1-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Cedaris Smith, who scored a run while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Suwannee didn't have quite enough to beat Columbia on Tuesday and fell 3-2.
Noah Lopez was huge while hitting and pitching even without the win. On the mound, he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. What's more, he gave up only zero walks, the fewest he's had since back in March of 2024. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with one triple and two RBI. That triple marked the first that he hit this season.
Lopez wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Kyler Watson, who scored a run and stole Two bases. while going 1-for-3. Those two stolen bases gave Watson a new career-high.
Buchholz pushed their record up to 8-0 with the win, which was their fifth straight on the road dating back to last season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.2 runs over those games. As for Suwannee, they now have a losing record of 4-5.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Buchholz has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 11 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Suwannee struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Buchholz came out on top in a nail-biter against Suwannee when the teams last played two weeks ago, sneaking past 8-6. The rematch might be a little tougher for Buchholz since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.