vs
| 04/11/24 - Away | 0-6 L |
| 04/18/23 - Home | 4-3 W |
| 04/04/22 - Away | 2-3 L |
| 03/31/22 - Home | 10-9 W |
| 04/26/21 - Neutral | 13-3 W |
| + 5 more games |
Clearwater and Countryside are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2017, but likely not for long. The Tornadoes will be playing at home against the Cougars at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Clearwater 3.8, Countryside 3.3) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Wednesday just wasn't the day for Clearwater's offense. They lost 6-0 to East Lake on Wednesday. The Tornadoes haven't had much luck with the Eagles recently, as the team has come up short the last five times they've met.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Countryside). Everything went their way against Largo on Tuesday as they made off with a 12-2 victory. The Cougars not only won on Tuesday, but they posted their biggest win since April 18, 2024.
Cody Hollenbeck was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he tossed six innings while giving up just two earned runs off six hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in eight consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances.
In other batting news, Luke Neubauer was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-4. Trent King was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-4.
Countryside always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .525. The last time their OBP was this high was back in April of 2024.
Countryside has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 13-6 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.2 runs on average over those games. As for Clearwater, their loss dropped their record down to 11-6.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Clearwater has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.9 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Countryside struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.3 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Clearwater might still be hurting after the 6-0 defeat they got from Countryside when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Will the Tornadoes have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
