For the first time this season, Eastern will have a chance to prove themselves in a conference matchup. They will be playing in front of their home fans against the Clinton Prairie Gophers at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Eastern 2.9, Clinton Prairie 1.7) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Clinton Prairie will be up against a hot Eastern team: the squad just extended their winning streak to four. The Comets put the hurt on Northfield with a sharp 12-2 win on Friday. Considering the Comets have won six contests by more than seven runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Eastern got a massive performance out of Owen Tolle, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base. Trey Beachy was another key player, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
Eastern always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .594. The last time their OBP was this high was back in May of 2024.
Meanwhile, Clinton Prairie wound up with the same score they had in their last game (3-2), but sadly the team found themselves on the wrong side of the score this time.
Ben Schlicher made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one double.
Eastern pushed their record up to 8-2 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Clinton Prairie, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-2.
Tuesday's match will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Eastern hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .337. However, it's not like Clinton Prairie struggles in that department as they've averaged .340. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Eastern took their victory against Clinton Prairie when the teams last played back in May of 2024 by a conclusive 9-1 score. Will the Comets repeat their success, or do the Gophers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
