Marauders
| 04/14/25 vs Cardinal Mooney | 5 |
| 04/09/25 @ Admiral Farragut | 16 |
| 04/08/25 @ Dunedin | 1 |
| 04/03/25 vs Hollins | 12 |
| 04/01/25 @ Calvary Christian | 1 |
| + 14 more games |
The Clearwater Central Catholic Marauders will face off against the Countryside Cougars at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Clearwater Central Catholic is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.1 runs per game this season.
Clearwater Central Catholic played in-conference for the first time on Monday and got just the result they were looking for. They walked away with a 5-1 victory over Cardinal Mooney. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Marauders.
Madison Whelan spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on nine hits and racked up six Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Lily Rock was excellent, going 2-for-3 with one stolen base and two RBI. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Kaelyn Foubister, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Countryside). They were the clear victors by a 20-10 margin over St. Petersburg on Tuesday. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last five times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
Kaitlyn Crouch was a major factor no matter where she played. She didn't allow a single earned run over five innings pitched. Crouch was even better at the plate, going 3-for-4 with four RBI, one run, and one double.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Ella Sprague, who scored four runs and stole three bases while getting on base in four of her five plate appearances. She also put up a double, which was her first of the season. Lily Mandilk was another key player, going 2-for-5 with one home run and four RBI.
Countryside always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .628. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Clearwater Central Catholic's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 9-10. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.0 runs over those games. As for Countryside, their win ended a seven-game drought at home and bumped them up to 2-11.
Countryside's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Clearwater Central Catholic hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .386. It's a different story for Countryside, though, as they've only averaged .250. Will they be able to contain Clearwater Central Catholic's hitters?
Clearwater Central Catholic was able to grind out a solid victory over Countryside in their previous matchup back in March of 2024, winning 6-2. Will the Marauders repeat their success, or do the Cougars have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
