The Black River Pirates are taking a road trip to take on the Clearview Clippers at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this contest.
Black River fought the good fight in their extra-innings match against Keystone on Tuesday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Wildcats by a score of 9-8. That's two games in a row now that the Pirates have lost by just one run.
Abbey Kiser put in work no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching nine innings while giving up three earned (and six unearned) runs off 11 hits. Kiser was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-5 with one home run, three RBI, and one double. That home run marked the first that she has launched this season.
In other batting news, Remi Dieter was cooking despite her team's loss, going 4-for-5 with two stolen bases, one triple, and one run. She also hit a double, marking her first of the season. Another player making a difference was Mia Rosales, who went 2-for-5 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
Meanwhile, Tuesday just wasn't the day for Clearview's offense. They lost 17-0 to Brookside on Tuesday. The defeat continues a trend for the Clippers in their meetings with the Cardinals: they've now lost five in a row.
Clearview saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Giabella Calez, who went 2-for-3 with one double.
Black River's loss ended a four-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 10-7. As for Clearview, their record now sits at 3-13.
Clearview's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Black River hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .327. It's a different story for Clearview, though, as they've only averaged .218. Will they be able to contain Black River's hitters?
Everything went Black River's way against Clearview in their previous meeting two weeks ago, as Black River made off with a 15-1 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Pirates since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
