The Clewiston Tigers are taking a road trip to face off against the LaBelle Cowboys/Cowgirls at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams are strolling into their matchups after big wins in their previous games.
Clewiston will roll into the contest after a wild two-game stretch: they didn't score any runs last Wednesday, then bounced right back against Glades Central on Friday. Clewiston put the hurt on Glades Central with a sharp 15-1 victory. While the Tigers didn't have the best season last year (they finished 7-16), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
Ethan Casas and Rocco Mann made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, Casas tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Mann tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. What's more, Casas posted five strikeouts, the most he's had since back in March of 2024. At bat, Casas scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-2, while Mann scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in both of his plate appearances. Mann also brought in an RBI, marking his first of the season.
In other batting news, Clewiston got a big performance out of Clayton Sparks, who scored two runs and stole Three bases. while going 1-for-1. Landon Bellew was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Clewiston always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .556. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Glades Central only posted an OBP of .118.
Meanwhile, LaBelle won against Frostproof on Wednesday with 11 runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Wednesday. LaBelle beat Frostproof by the very same score they won with in their prior game: 11-5. The Cowboys/Cowgirls haven't had any issues with the Bulldogs recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive win against them.
Kaleb Mclymont looked comfortable as he tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two hits any time he's pitched this season.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Ty Murray, who went 3-for-4 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs. He has become a key player for LaBelle: the team is undefeated when he posts at least one home run, but 1-6 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Elijah Williams, who scored two runs and stole Two bases. while going 3-for-4.
Clewiston's victory was their fourth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 4-1. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 16.3 runs over those games. As for LaBelle, their record now sits at 4-6.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Clewiston has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 9.4 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like LaBelle struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.6 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Clewiston came up short against LaBelle in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, falling 8-3. Can Clewiston avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
