Clarkrange has enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will square off against the Oakdale Eagles at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Given that both teams suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this matchup.
Last Wednesday, Clarkrange suffered a tough 11-1 loss at the hands of Stone Memorial.
Meanwhile, Oakdale fought the good fight in their extra-innings game against Lenoir City on Monday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They took a 9-5 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Panthers. That's two games in a row now that Oakdale has lost by exactly four runs.
Rhylan Hicks put in work no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 14 batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned runs off four hits (and only one walk). Hicks has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in eight consecutive pitching appearances. Hicks was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing a base while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
In other batting news, Cheyenne Sirmans was cooking despite her team's loss, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-4. Taylor Smith was another key contributor, going 1-for-4 with a triple and an RBI.
Even though they lost, Oakdale didn't let batters stay on the plate for long and finished the game with 14 strikeouts. That's the most strikeouts they've managed all season.
Clarkrange's record now sits at 2-5-1. As for Oakdale, they are on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 2-7.
Clarkrange skirted past Oakdale 7-6 in their previous meeting back in April of 2023. The rematch might be a little tougher for Clarkrange since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
