The Clinton Dark Horses will square off against the Hobbton Wildcats at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
On Thursday, Clinton got the win against Red Springs by a conclusive 11-5. The Dark Horses haven't had any issues with the Red Devils recently, as the game was their third consecutive win against them.
Brennon Bell was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances. The team also got some help courtesy of Zyhan Wallace, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, Hobbton made easy work of Lakewood on Thursday and carried off a 14-4 victory. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Wildcats.
Caden Martin made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 11 batters over six innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off five hits (and only one walk). Those 11 strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, Hobbton let Thomas Tart and Zack Aman run wild. Tart went 3-for-4 with three runs, four RBI, and two doubles, while Aman scored two runs and stole two bases while going 3-for-5. What's more, Aman posted three RBI, the most he's had since back in April of 2024. Braxton McLamb was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.
Hobbton always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .556. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their OBP total in three consecutive games.
Clinton pushed their record up to 10-4 with the win, which was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.9 runs on average over those games. As for Hobbton, their win bumped their record up to 11-5.
Everything went Clinton's way against Hobbton in their previous meeting back in March of 2022, as Clinton made off with a 12-4 victory. Do the Dark Horses have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Wildcats turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
