After both having extra time off, the Clover Hill Cavaliers and the Manchester Lancers will shake off the rust and duke it out at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Clover Hill had to skate by with only a two-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the 15-run drubbing they dealt J.R. Tucker last Thursday. The Cavaliers blew past the Tigers 16-1. That 15 run margin sets a new team best for the Cavaliers this season.
Noah Putney made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out seven over five innings pitched. Putney was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-2.
In other batting news, Clover Hill got a massive performance out of Carter Burcume, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two stolen bases, three runs, and four RBI. Those four RBI gave Burcume a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Blake Spence, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with four RBI, two runs, and one double.
Clover Hill always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .657. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Manchester had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8.5 runs) and they went ahead and made it three last Thursday. Everything went their way against the Indians as they made off with a 10-2 victory. With that win, the Lancers brought their scoring average up to 6.8 runs per game.
Kelton Taylor tossed a big game, striking out eight batters over five innings while giving up just two earned runs off seven hits (and only one walk). He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one walk in three consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Easton Butts, who went 2-for-3 with one home run and two RBI. Tyson Penepacker was another key player, scoring two runs while getting on base in two of his three plate appearances.
Manchester pushed their record up to 3-2 with the victory, which was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.5 runs over those games. As for Clover Hill, their victory bumped their record up to 3-1.
Clover Hill took their win against Manchester when the teams last played back in May of 2024 by a conclusive 10-4 score. Will the Cavaliers repeat their success, or do the Lancers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
