The Clarke Central Gladiators will head out on the road to face off against the Hebron Christian Lions at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Hebron Christian took a loss in their last game and will be looking to turn the tables on Clarke Central, who comes in off a win.
Clarke Central had to skate by with only a two-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the 16-run drubbing they dealt Cedar Shoals on Monday. Clarke Central's pitchers stepped up to hand Cedar Shoals a 16-0 shutout. That looming 16-0 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Gladiators yet this season.
Macon Davis and Colton Eberhard were a major factor no matter where they played. On the mound, Davis struck out nine batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). Meanwhile, Eberhard pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. What's more, Davis gave up only zero walks, the fewest he's had since back in March of 2024. At bat, Davis went 2-for-3 with four RBI, one triple, and one double, while Eberhard scored two runs while going 3-for-3. That triple was Davis' first of the season.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Oliver Siegmund, who scored two runs while going 1-for-2. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in runs. Asher McElhannon also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Clarke Central always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .688. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Hebron Christian didn't have quite enough to beat Winder-Barrow on Saturday and fell 2-1. The Lions have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Brodie Lewis was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he pitched six innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. He is becoming a predictor of Hebron Christian's success: when he allows at most one earned run the team is 4-1 (and 1-4 when he doesn't).
On the hitting side, Hebron Christian saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Dallas Rice, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one RBI.
Clarke Central is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight matches. That's provided a massive bump to their 6-5 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 4.0 runs on average over those games. Hebron Christian's loss dropped their record down to 5-5.
Clarke Central suffered a grim 14-7 defeat to Hebron Christian in their previous matchup back in February of 2024. Can Clarke Central avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
