The McClain Tigers will face off against the Fairfield Lions at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. McClain is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.5 runs per game this season.
McClain will bounce into Saturday's contest after beating Clinton-Massie, who they had gone 0-7-1 against in their eight prior meetings. The Tigers came out on top in a nail-biter against the Falcons on Friday, sneaking past 3-2. The three-run effort marked the Tigers' lowest-scoring matchup of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.
Connor Chandler spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered two runs (both of which were unearned) on three hits.
Matthew Cummins
| 04/10/26 vs Clinton-Massie | 2 |
| 04/08/26 vs Chillicothe | 1 |
| 04/06/26 @ Chillicothe | 1 |
| 04/28/25 vs Hillsboro | 1 |
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Matthew Cummins, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with two stolen bases and one RBI. Those two stolen bases gave him a new career-high.
Meanwhile, Friday just wasn't the day for Fairfield's offense. They came up short against Whiteoak on Friday, falling 9-0. Having soared to a lofty ten runs in the game before, the Lions' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.
Fairfield saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Ben Miller, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base.
McClain pushed their record up to 5-1 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Fairfield, their loss dropped their record down to 3-6.
Fairfield's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: McClain has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .472. It's a different story for Fairfield, though, as they've only averaged .287. Will they be able to contain McClain's hitters?
McClain got the 'W' in their previous meeting back in March of 2025 against Fairfield by a conclusive 19-3 score. Do the Tigers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Lions turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
