After two games on the road, Clarke Central is heading back home. They will take on the Heritage Patriots at 5:55 p.m. on Tuesday. Given that both teams suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this game.
Last Tuesday, Clarke Central suffered a tough 11-3 defeat at the hands of Banks County. Clarke Central has not had much luck with Banks County recently, as the team's come up short the last seven times they've met.
Colton Eberhard was huge no matter where he played even without the win. He pitched 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (he also didn't allow any walks). Eberhard was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with an RBI.
In other batting news, Jared Manago was cooking despite his team's loss, going 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI.
Meanwhile, Heritage was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their tenth straight loss. They fell just short of Monroe Area by a score of 5-4.
Like Clarke Central, Heritage also got a great game from a two-way player: Mason Lynch. On the mound, Lynch tossed 3.1 innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits (he also didn't allow any walks). Meanwhile, Denzel Gillespie didn't allow a single earned run while striking out seven over six innings pitched. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive pitching appearances. At bat, Lynch scored a run and stole two bases while getting on base in three of his six plate appearances, while Gillespie scored two runs and stole three bases while going 3-for-5.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Tousaint Connelly, who went 1-for-4 with an RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Rylan Holden, who got on base in two of his five plate appearances with two stolen bases.
Clarke Central's defeat dropped their record down to 3-17. As for Heritage, their loss dropped their record down to 7-11.
Clarke Central took their victory against Heritage in their previous meeting back in April of 2023 by a conclusive 12-2. Will Clarke Central repeat their success, or does Heritage have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps