After three games on the road, Clayton is heading back home. They will take on the Garner Trojans at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Clayton is headed into the contest fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They were the clear victor by a 16-1 margin over South Garner on Friday. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for Clayton considering their one-run performance the matchup before.
Aliyah Gibson was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out ten batters over three innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits (and only one walk). Gibson was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two runs, a triple, and two RBI.
In other batting news, Clayton let Autumn Joyce and Mallory Kuykendal loose on the outfield. Joyce scored four runs while going 3-for-4, while Kuykendal went 2-for-2 with three RBI, a triple, and a run. Another player making a difference was Jenny Clement, who went 3-for-3 with an RBI.
Meanwhile, Garner had already won five in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 7.8 runs), and they went ahead and made it six on Friday. They never let the Pirates onto the board and left with a 10-0 victory.
Like Clayton, Garner also got a great game from a two-way player: Gabriella Czuczuk. She didn't allow a single earned run over five innings pitched. Czuczuk was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with a triple.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Gabriela Mizelle, who scored a run while going 3-for-3. Raleigh Stewart was another key contributor, scoring two runs while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
Clayton's win bumped their record up to 10-6. As for Garner, they pushed their record up to 16-1 with that victory, which was their fifth straight at home.
Tuesday's game will be a test for both team's pitchers. Clayton hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .405. However, it's not like Garner struggles in that department as they've averaged .346. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Clayton came up short against Garner in their previous matchup back in March, falling 7-3. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Stewart, who didn't allow a single earned run and only two hits while striking out nine over four innings pitched. Now that Clayton knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
