The Cranberry Area Berries will venture away from home to face off against the Clarion-Limestone Lions at 4:15 p.m. on Wednesday.
Cranberry Area made up a huge gap compared to their last game against Franklin, but they still couldn't quite topple them. The Berries fell just short of the Knights by a score of 11-9 on Monday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest defeat the Berries have suffered since April 11th.
Blake Marchinke was huge no matter where he played even without the win. On the mound, he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. That's the fewest hits he has allowed since back in May of 2024. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one stolen base.
In other batting news, Lincoln Galla made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 1-for-4 with two runs and one RBI. Landon Baker also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Meanwhile, while Clarion-Limestone put up some runs on Monday, the same can't be said for North Clarion. The Lions didn't even let the Wolves on the board, marking the Lions' second-straight 10-0 shutout. The Lions haven't had any issues with the Wolves recently, as the game was their seventh consecutive victory against them.
Like Cranberry Area, Clarion-Limestone also got a great game from a two-way player: Kohen Kemmer. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits while striking out seven over four innings pitched. Kemmer has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with one home run and three RBI. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in May of 2024.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Aiden Coulson, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Those three RBI gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Lucian Sloan, who went 1-for-2 with two runs and one stolen base.
Clarion-Limestone was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .391. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.
Cranberry Area has traveled a rocky road recently, having lost three of their last four matchups. That's put a noticeable dent in their 6-7 record this season. As for Clarion-Limestone, the win was their first on the road , bumping their record up to 4-8.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Cranberry Area has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Clarion-Limestone struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.1 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Cranberry Area suffered a grim 13-1 defeat to Clarion-Limestone when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Can the Berries avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
