Baseball Preview: Cloverdale Clovers vs. North Putnam Cougars
Cloverdale has been on the road for four straight, but on Thursday they'll finally head home. They will take on the North Putnam Cougars at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Last Thursday, Cloverdale got the win against Parke Heritage by a conclusive 7-1.
Drake Hoffa spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered one run (which was unearned) on three hits and racked up 13 Ks. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in four consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, Caiden Watts and Ben Campbell did most of the damage at the plate: Watts scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4, while Campbell scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-4. The team also got some help courtesy of Landon Duncan, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, North Putnam came into Tuesday's matchup having lost three straight, but that streak is now in the rearview. They had just enough and edged Owen Valley out 9-7.
Alec Mckenzie made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing two innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. Mckenzie was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while going 1-for-4.
In other batting news, Jaylen Windmiller was excellent, scoring a run while going 3-for-4.
Cloverdale's win bumped their record up to 4-6. As for North Putnam, their victory bumped their record up to 8-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Cloverdale has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like North Putnam struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.8. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Cloverdale came out on top in a nail-biter against North Putnam when the teams last played back in May of 2023, sneaking past 4-3. Will Cloverdale repeat their success, or does North Putnam have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
