The Clinton Prairie Gophers will square off against the Carroll Cougars at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Clinton Prairie is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They walked away with a 7-2 win over Frontier. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Gophers.
Sadie Weliver spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and one unearned) run on eight hits and racked up nine Ks.
On the hitting side, Clinton Prairie's victory was truly a team effort as six different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Kadie Fearnow, who went 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Carroll got themselves on the board against Clinton Central on Thursday, but Clinton Central never followed suit. They came out on top against the Bulldogs by a score of 5-0.
Not much got past Emily Justice, who gave up just seven hits and racked up ten Ks to keep Clinton Central off the board. Justice has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Carroll let Madi Isley and Bree Hoke run wild. Isley went 1-for-4 with one home run, while Hoke went 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI. That home run was Isley's first of the season. Olivia Schroder was another key player, going 2-for-3 with one RBI.
Carroll was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .405. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Clinton Central only posted a batting average of .259.
Carroll has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six matchups. That's provided a massive bump to their 12-7 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.5 runs on average over those games. As for Clinton Prairie, their record now sits at 18-8.
Friday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Clinton Prairie hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .387. However, it's not like Carroll struggles in that department as they've averaged .347. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Clinton Prairie came out on top in a nail-biter against Carroll in their previous matchup last Tuesday, sneaking past 8-6. Will the Gophers repeat their success, or do the Cougars have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
