The Mandarin Mustangs will square off against the Clay Blue Devils at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Mandarin will roll into the matchup after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up one run on Tuesday, then bounced right back against Christ's Church Academy on Thursday. Mandarin was the clear victor by an 18-3 margin over Christ's Church Academy.
Ryleigh Booth
| 03/27/25 @ Christ's Church Academy | 4 |
| 03/18/25 @ Bolles | 3 |
| 03/04/25 vs Nease | 3 |
| 04/09/24 vs First Coast | 3 |
| 03/13/24 vs Wolfson | 3 |
Ryleigh Booth and MaKayla Oxley did most of the damage at the plate: Booth went a perfect 4-for-4 with three runs, four RBI, and one double, while Oxley scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances. Those four hits gave Booth a new career-high. Alanna DeJesus was another key player, scoring two runs while going 3-for-4.
Mandarin hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They are a perfect 3-0 when they post two or more strikeouts.
Meanwhile, Clay had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Friday. They were the clear victors by a 10-2 margin over the Falcons.
Sadie Russo spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned runs on seven hits. What's more, she gave up only zero walks, the fewest she's had since back in February.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Kaelye Rouw, who went 2-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and one triple. The team also got some help courtesy of Brooke Hamilton, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3.
Clay pushed their record up to 10-4 with the win, which was their seventh straight at home. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.4 runs over those games. As for Mandarin, the win got them back to even at 7-7.
Everything went Mandarin's way against Clay in their previous meeting back in March of 2024, as Mandarin made off with a 12-1 victory. Does Mandarin have another victory up their sleeve, or will Clay turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
