The Cleveland Blue Raiders will square off against the McCallie Blue Tornado at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. Cleveland is coming into the game hot, having won their last five games.
On Friday, Cleveland earned a 6-1 win over Ooltewah.
Ethan Guy
| 03/21/25 vs Ooltewah | 6 |
| 03/13/25 vs Portland | 3 |
| 03/10/25 vs Northwest Whitfield | 2 |
| 03/17/25 @ Bradley Central | 1 |
Ethan Guy tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run while striking out six over six innings pitched. Those six strikeouts gave him a new career-high.
On the hitting side, Sam Coleman was excellent, going 1-for-3 with one triple, one run, and one RBI. Kason McGowan was another key player, scoring a run while going 1-for-1.
Meanwhile, it may have taken ten innings to finish the job, but McCallie ultimately got the result they hoped for on Thursday. They came out on top against East Hamilton by a score of 7-4. The victory continues a trend for the Blue Tornado in their matchups with the Hurricanes: they've now won seven in a row.
Nolan Abbott looked comfortable as he struck out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Furthermore, he didn't allow a single earned run, the first time he has blanked an opponent since back in March of 2024.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Chandler Jones, who went 3-for-6 with two doubles and two RBI. Those doubles marked the first that he hit this season. Another player making a difference was Jake Copeland, who scored three runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-4.
McCallie kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.
Cleveland's win was their eighth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 11-3. A key ingredient in that success has been their performance when it comes to hits: they averaged an imposing 8.75 hits in those games compared to only five in the others. As for McCallie, their victory bumped their record up to 3-5.
Cleveland's speedy runners might be the difference in Saturday's contest. Cleveland has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.8 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for McCallie, though, as they've been averaging only 0.8 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Cleveland continue to outrun the ball?
Cleveland skirted past McCallie 3-2 in their previous matchup back in April of 2023. Does Cleveland have another victory up their sleeve, or will McCallie turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
