Malcolm has gone a perfect 3-0 against Arlington recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Clippers will welcome the Eagles at 4:30 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Malcolm barely beat Beatrice the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Clippers blew past the Orangemen 14-1 on Tuesday. Winning may never get old, but the Clippers sure are getting used to it with their third in a row.
Chase Smith
| 04/21/26 vs Beatrice | 5 |
| 03/24/26 vs Platteview | 3 |
| 05/08/25 vs Centennial | 3 |
| 03/27/26 @ Wayne | 2 |
| 03/21/26 @ Platte Valley | 2 |
Chase Smith made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run over four innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with one home run, five RBI, and one double. Those five RBI gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Nolan Duzik, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Those three RBI gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Preston Kucera, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double.
Malcolm was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .500. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Beatrice only posted a batting average of .211.
Arlington hadn't beaten Fort Calhoun on the road since March 30, 2023 but that history sure didn't bother them on Tuesday. The Eagles put the hurt on the Pioneers with a sharp 11-5 win.
Like Malcolm, Arlington also got a great game from a two-way player: Liam Shearer. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out six over six innings pitched. Shearer was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two doubles and one RBI.
In other batting news, Luke Ott was excellent, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with three runs and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Burke Quinn, who went 1-for-3 with two runs and two RBI.
Malcolm's victory bumped their record up to 12-4. As for Arlington, their win bumped their record up to 9-6.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Malcolm has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Arlington struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Everything went Malcolm's way against Arlington in their previous meeting back in April of 2025, as Malcolm made off with a 7-0 victory. Do the Clippers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Eagles turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
