The Punxsutawney Chucks will head out to square off against the Clarion Area Bobcats at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. The last three games Punxsutawney has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.
While Punxsutawney's win against St. Marys wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Chucks skirted past the Flying Dutch 3-1. The Chucks haven't had any issues with the Flying Dutch recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive victory against them.
Nevin Day made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up a single earned run in seven consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. That's the most runs he has posted since back in March.
Day wasn't the only one making solid contact as two players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Maddox Hetrick, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one run.
Meanwhile, after only one run in their last game, Clarion Area made sure to put some runs up on the board against Clarion-Limestone on Wednesday. The Bobcats were the clear victors by a 16-2 margin over the Lions. Considering the Bobcats have won five matchups by more than nine runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Like Punxsutawney, Clarion Area also got a great game from a two-way player: Carter Hindman. On the mound, Hindman tossed 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Ethan Rex tossed 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. At bat, Hindman went 1-for-4 with one run and one RBI, while Rex got on base in three of his five plate appearances with two runs.
In other batting news, Derek Smail was a standout: he went 2-for-5 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. He is becoming a predictor of Clarion Area's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 1-2 when he doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of Hayden Weber, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Clarion Area kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 16 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.
Clarion Area pushed their record up to 6-2 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.7 runs on average over those games. As for Punxsutawney, their record is now 9-2.
Punxsutawney suffered a grim 8-2 defeat to Clarion Area when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Can the Chucks avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
