Clifton Central came tearing into Tuesday's contest with six straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 13 runs) and they left with even more momentum. They came out on top against the Gardner-South Wilmington Panthers by a score of 8-3. This was payback for Clifton Central, who suffered a 4-2 defeat the last time these two teams met.
Brayden Meents spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered three earned runs on nine hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, Derek Meier was incredible, going 3-for-4 with four RBI, a triple, and a stolen base. He has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last five times he's played. Owen Palmateer was another key contributor, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with a stolen base.
On Gardner-South Wilmington's side, Ayden Collom made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored a run and stole a base while going 3-for-4.
Even though they lost, Gardner-South Wilmington hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Clifton Central struck out eight times.
Clifton Central has been performing well recently as they've won eight of their last ten games, which provided a nice bump to their 12-6 record this season. As for Gardner-South Wilmington, they are on a four-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 8-10.
Clifton Central will have a chance to go back-to-back against Gardner-South Wilmington: the pair's next game is a rematch scheduled at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
