Forest hasn't had much luck against Buchholz recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Wildcats will square off against the Bobcats at 7:00 p.m. Forest is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.6 runs per game this season.
Forest is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Monday. They skirted past Oakleaf 5-4.
Daniel Wilson was excellent, scoring a run while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, Buchholz won against Providence School on Tuesday with 11 runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Thursday. The Bobcats blew past Gainesville 11-4. The result was nothing new for the Bobcats, who have now won 12 matchups by seven runs or more so far this season.
Wyatt Clarke made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit while striking out seven over five innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two hits in 19 consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with one double and one RBI.
In other pitching news, Reed Thomas looked comfortable as he tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been consistent : he hasn't given up more than two walks in eight consecutive appearances.
Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Blake Brewer, who went 3-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and four RBI. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in doubles (two). Another player making a difference was Stuart Ding, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-3.
Buchholz pushed their record up to 24-1 with the victory, which was their 20th straight at home dating back to last season. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Forest, their record is now 14-12.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Tuesday. Forest hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.5 home runs per game. However, it's not like Buchholz struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 0.6 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Forest suffered a grim 9-0 defeat to Buchholz in their previous meeting last Monday. Can the Wildcats avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
