The Cleveland Rams will head out to square off against the Willow Spring Storm at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Cleveland is coming into the game hot, having won their last seven games.
Cleveland barely beat South Garner the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Rams were the clear victors by an 18-2 margin over the Titans on Tuesday. The Rams might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 11 matches by six runs or more this season.
Brooks Moore made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one walk in six consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with two runs and one stolen base.
In other batting news, Cleveland got a massive performance out of Caleb Lynn, who went 1-for-2 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one triple. That's the most stolen bases Lynn has posted since back in March. Henry Blackman was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, three RBI, and two runs.
Cleveland hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least five batters in four consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Willow Spring didn't have quite enough to beat Fuquay - Varina on Tuesday and fell 3-2. The Storm have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Luke Doreauk was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out seven over 4.1 innings pitched.
On the hitting side, Willow Spring saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Austin Fletcher, who went 2-for-3 with one run. Joshua Anderson II also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Cleveland pushed their record up to 15-7 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.3 runs on average over those games. As for Willow Spring, they now have a losing record of 9-10.
Willow Spring's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Cleveland hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .327. It's a different story for Willow Spring, though, as they've only averaged .248. Will they be able to contain Cleveland's hitters?
Cleveland took their victory against Willow Spring when the teams last played on April 8th by a conclusive 14-4 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Rams since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
