The Beallsville Blue Devils will face off against the Clay-Battelle Cee-Bees at 12:00 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
If Beallsville beats Clay-Battelle with five runs on Friday, it's going to be the team's new lucky number: they've won their past two contests with that exact score. The Blue Devils came out on top against Valley by a score of 5-2 on Thursday. The win continues a trend for the Blue Devils in their matchups with the Lumberjacks: they've now won eight in a row.
Hunter Cole spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned runs on six hits and racked up 11 Ks. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances.
Ryan Dornon
| 04/17/25 @ Valley | 4 |
| 04/08/25 vs Bridgeport | 3 |
| 03/29/25 @ Monroe Central | 1 |
| 04/17/24 vs Bridgeport | 1 |
| 04/16/24 @ Frontier | 1 |
At the plate, Ryan Dornon was incredible, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with four stolen bases, one run, and one RBI. Those four stolen bases gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Chaz Gasser, who got on base in two of his four plate appearances with three stolen bases and two runs.
Meanwhile, Clay-Battelle had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 7.5 runs) and they went ahead and made it five on Thursday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 6-4 victory over the Blue Eagles. While the Cee-Bees didn't have the best season last year (they finished 3-17), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
Cameron Mercer and Kooper Statler made a big impact no matter where they played. On the mound, Mercer pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Meanwhile, Statler struck out six batters over four innings while giving up just two earned runs off one hit. At the plate, Mercer went 1-for-4 with one triple and one run, while Statler went a perfect 3-for-3 with two doubles, two RBI, and one run.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Ryan Parker, who went 2-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI. Parker Bane was another key player, going 1-for-3 with two runs and one RBI.
Clay-Battelle was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .385. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Magnolia only posted a batting average of .167.
Clay-Battelle's win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 8-3. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.6 runs on average over those games. As for Beallsville, the win was their first on the road , bumping their record up to 2-5.
Beallsville's speedy runners might be the difference in Friday's match. The Blue Devils have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.4 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Clay-Battelle, though, as they've been averaging only 0.1 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Beallsville continue to outrun the ball?
Beallsville couldn't quite finish off Clay-Battelle in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 and fell 6-4. Can the Blue Devils avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
