The Clarion Area Bobcats will face off against the DuBois Beavers at 4:15 p.m. on Tuesday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Clarion Area comes in on five and DuBois on six.
Clarion Area is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. Their pitchers stepped up to hand North Clarion a 15-0 shutout on Thursday. Considering the Bobcats have won four contests by more than nine runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Clarion Area let Derek Smail and Noah Harrison run wild. Smail went a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs, while Harrison went a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. That's the most RBI Harrison has posted since back in May of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Billy Kahle, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs and one RBI.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact: Clarion Area kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least nine hits in three consecutive matches.
While DuBois didn't have the best season last year (they finished 7-13), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 2-1 victory over Punxsutawney on Wednesday. Those two runs were actually the fewest the Beavers have put up all season, but given the result they're probably not too concerned.
DuBois' win was truly a team effort as four different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Trey Wingard, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one run.
Clarion Area's victory was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 5-1. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.4 runs over those games. As for DuBois, their victory bumped their record up to 8-1.
Tuesday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Clarion Area hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .344. However, it's not like DuBois struggles in that department as they've averaged .325. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Clarion Area skirted past DuBois 10-8 in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Do the Bobcats have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Beavers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
