The Greenville Trojans will square off against the Clarion Area Bobcats at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Greenville comes in on seven and Clarion Area on three.
Greenville made up a huge gap compared to their last game against Sharpsville, but they still couldn't quite topple them. The Trojans blew past the Blue Devils 9-2 on Wednesday. The result was nothing new for the Trojans, who have now won five contests by six runs or more so far this season.
Justin Schell made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out eight batters over four innings while giving up just two earned runs off three hits. Schell was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, Jacob Csonka was incredible, going 3-for-4 with one triple, two RBI, and one run. He also put up a double, which was his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Brandon Stubert, who went 2-for-4 with two runs and one triple.
Greenville always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .515. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Sharpsville only posted an OBP of .344.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Clarion Area). Everything went their way against Karns City on Monday as they made off with a 14-4 win.
Like Greenville, Clarion Area also got a great game from a two-way player: Dylan Smail. On the mound, he pitched 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. Smail has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one walk in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.
In other batting news, Clarion Area got a massive performance out of Noah Harrison, who scored three runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-2. That's the most runs Harrison has posted since back in May of 2024. Wyatt Watterson was another key player, scoring two runs while going 1-for-2.
Greenville pushed their record up to 7-0 with the victory, which was their sixth straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.7 runs on average over those games. As for Clarion Area, their victory bumped their record up to 3-1.
Greenville's speedy runners might be the difference in Friday's match. The Trojans have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.7 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Clarion Area, though, as they've been averaging only 1 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Greenville continue to outrun the ball?
Greenville came out on top in a nail-biter against Clarion Area in their previous meeting back in May of 2024, sneaking past 7-6. Will the Trojans repeat their success, or do the Bobcats have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
