Clearwater is preparing for their first district matchup of the season on Thursday. They will head out on the road to challenge the Dunedin Falcons at 7:00 p.m. Clearwater will be strutting in after a victory while Dunedin will be coming in after a defeat.
Last Tuesday, Clearwater got the win against Largo by a conclusive 14-1. Considering the Tornadoes have won nine matches by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Madison Jost made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out six over five innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with one triple, two RBI, and one run.
In other batting news, Juleah Patterson was incredible, going 3-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one double. Jadah Nicholls was another key player, scoring two runs while going 2-for-4.
Clearwater kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 21 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, it was a Battle of the Birds when Dunedin challenged East Lake on Wednesday. The Falcons fell just short of the Eagles by a score of 3-2. Having soared to a lofty 16 runs in the game before, the Falcons couldn't push the score so high this time.
Lyla Griffey was cooking despite her team's loss, scoring two runs while going 3-for-3.
The win made it two in a row for Clearwater and bumps their season record up to 11-7. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered a grand total of 1 runs in those games. As for Dunedin, their loss dropped their record down to 12-4.
Thursday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Clearwater hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .364. However, it's not like Dunedin struggles in that department as they've averaged .324. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
