The Clover Hill Cavaliers will head out on the road to challenge the James River Midlothian Rapids at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Clover Hill is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.3 runs per game this season.
Clover Hill is probably headed into the game with a chip on their shoulder considering Powhatan just ended the team's eight-game winning streak on Monday. They lost 12-2 to the Indians. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest defeat the Cavaliers have suffered since April 17th.
Clover Hill saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Owen Tingen, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with one run.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask James River Midlothian). Everything went their way against Richmond High School for the Arts on Tuesday as they made off with a 16-0 win. The Rapids might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven matches by seven runs or more this season.
Zack Nicholas and Nolan Anthony made a splash while hitting and pitching. Throwing, Nicholas struck out six batters over two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and only one walk). Meanwhile, Anthony struck out six batters over two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and only one walk). Nicholas has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances. At the plate, Nicholas got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs, two RBI, and one double, while Anthony went 3-for-4 with four RBI, one run, and one double. Those four RBI gave Anthony a new career-high.
In other batting news, Kai Titler was excellent, going a perfect 2-for-2 with three RBI and one run. Another player making a difference was Robert Walker, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with four runs.
James River Midlothian always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .735. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
James River Midlothian is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 12-5 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.3 runs on average over those games. As for Clover Hill, their loss dropped their record down to 14-5.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Wednesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Clover Hill has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.1 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like James River Midlothian struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 4.4 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Clover Hill came out on top in a nail-biter against James River Midlothian when the teams last played back in April, sneaking past 5-4. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Cavaliers since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
