The Clear Lake Cardinals will head out to face off against the Cloverdale Eagles at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Clear Lake is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.2 runs per game this season.
Things were looking good for Clear Lake after they put the first run on the board on Tuesday, but unfortunately for them things went downhill from there. They fell just short of Fort Bragg by a score of 5-4. The Cardinals have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Ashlyn Cruz was cooking despite her team's loss, getting on base in two of her four plate appearances with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI. Kam Cresto also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.
Meanwhile, after only one run in their last contest, Cloverdale made sure to put some runs up on the board against Upper Lake on Tuesday. The Eagles put the hurt on the Cougars with a sharp 13-3 win. The Eagles might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven matches by ten runs or more this season.
Charlotte Burchett spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned runs on seven hits and racked up seven Ks.
At the plate, Ronni Hatcher was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI. That's the most runs she has posted since back in March. The team also got some help courtesy of Camryn Bird, who went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, two RBI, and one run.
Cloverdale pushed their record up to 15-2 with the victory, which was their fifth straight on the road. The road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.0 runs over those games. As for Clear Lake, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-6.
Friday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Clear Lake has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .441. However, it's not like Cloverdale struggles in that department as they've averaged .446. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Clear Lake might still be hurting after the 13-1 loss they got from Cloverdale in their previous matchup on April 8th. Can the Cardinals avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
