Wall is 9-1 against Clyde since May of 2016 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Friday. The Hawks will challenge the Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Clyde will square off against a team with plenty of momentum: Wall extended their winning streak to seven on Tuesday. The Hawks blew past Merkel 14-2.
Reid Ballard
| 04/01/25 vs Merkel | 5 |
| 03/06/25 vs Burleson | 4 |
| 02/04/25 vs Lake View | 3 |
| 02/15/25 @ Abilene | 2 |
Reid Ballard made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing four innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in strikeouts (five). He was also stellar in the batter's box, firing off two home runs and three RBI while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, Gage Reichenau and Hagyn Barbee did most of the damage at the plate: Reichenau scored two runs while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances, while Barbee scored three runs and stole a base while going 1-for-2. That's the most runs Reichenau has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Garren Wiggins, who went 1-for-2 with two RBI.
Wall always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .536. That was just more of the same: they've now posted an OBP of .514 or higher in three consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Clyde got themselves on the board against Merkel last Tuesday, but Merkel never followed suit. They were the clear victors by a 6-0 margin over the Badgers. The win was nothing new for the Bulldogs as they're now sitting on five straight.
The team relied heavily on Landon Deal, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-3. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last five games he's played. Levi Pucilowski was another key player, going 1-for-3 with one triple, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Wall's victory was their 13th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 13-3. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Clyde, their record is now 12-5-2.
Friday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Wall hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .401. However, it's not like Clyde struggles in that department as they've averaged .404. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went Wall's way against Clyde when the teams last played back in March of 2024, as Wall made off with an 11-1 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Hawks since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
