The Madonna Blue Dons will head out on the road to face off against the Clay-Battelle Cee-Bees at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Clay-Battelle will be up against a hot Madonna team: the squad just extended their winning streak to three. The Blue Dons put the hurt on Trinity Christian with a sharp 17-4 victory on Monday. That 13 run margin sets a new team best for the Blue Dons this season.
Reno Fuscardo made a splash while hitting and pitching. He tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one hit in three consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Jacob Lazear, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. That's the most runs he has posted since back in April of 2024. Kaiden Wells was another key player, going 3-for-4 with four RBI and one double.
Madonna always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .556. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Trinity Christian only posted an OBP of .360.
Meanwhile, while Clay-Battelle put up some runs on Wednesday, the same can't be said for Valley. The Cee-Bees blew past the Lumberjacks 10-0. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Cee-Bees.
Kooper Statler was excellent, going a perfect 2-for-2 with three RBI and one double.
Madonna's win was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 6-2. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they've averaged 12.4 runs this season. As for Clay-Battelle, their record now sits at 5-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Madonna has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Clay-Battelle struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.4 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Everything went Madonna's way against Clay-Battelle when the teams last played two weeks ago, as Madonna made off with a 10-1 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Blue Dons since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
