The Clearwater Valley Rams will head out to square off against the Prairie Pirates at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
On Tuesday, Clearwater Valley made easy work of Garfield-Palouse and carried off a 13-3 victory. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Rams.
The team relied heavily on Jake Fabbi, who got on base in all three of his plate appearances with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Clearwater Valley was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .400. They are a perfect 3-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Meanwhile, Prairie entered their tilt with Troy on Tuesday with six consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with seven. They were the clear victors by a 21-2 margin over the Trojans.
Kade Quintal and Chris Schumacher made a big impact no matter where they played. On the mound, Quintal pitched three innings while giving up just two earned runs off four hits. Meanwhile, Schumacher tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Quintal has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances. At the plate, Quintal went 2-for-4 with three RBI and two runs, while Schumacher went 2-for-5 with three RBI and two runs. That's the most RBI Schumacher has posted since back in March of 2024.
In other batting news, Prairie let Jake Quintal and Carter Shears run wild. Quintal got on base in three of his five plate appearances with four runs and three RBI, while Shears went 2-for-4 with three runs and two RBI. With that strong performance, Quintal is now averaging an impressive 2.1 runs per game. Another player making a difference was Phil Schwartz, who went 1-for-5 with three runs and one RBI.
Clearwater Valley's record now sits at 9-7. As for Prairie, their record is now 9-4.
Thursday's match might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Clearwater Valley has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .472. However, it's not like Prairie struggles in that department as they've averaged .548. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went Clearwater Valley's way against Prairie in their previous matchup back in March, as Clearwater Valley made off with a 20-10 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Rams since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
