The Clearwater Tornadoes will challenge the Countryside Cougars at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Clearwater is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They never let Brandon get on the board and left with a 15-0 win. Considering the Tornadoes have won 11 matches by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Kabella Corning made a big impact no matter where she played. On the mound, she tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in nine consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going a perfect 2-for-2 with three runs. That's the most runs she has posted since back in March.
In other batting news, Clearwater got a massive performance out of Jadah Nicholls, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with five RBI, one triple, and one run. That's the most RBI Nicholls has posted since back in February of 2024. Another player making a difference was Juleah Patterson, who went 2-for-3 with three runs, one triple, and two RBI.
Clearwater kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. They are 9-1 when they post 11 or more hits.
Meanwhile, after only one run in their last contest, Countryside made sure to put some runs up on the board against Blake on Tuesday. The Cougars blew past the Yellow Jackets 17-0. That 17 run margin sets a new team best for the Cougars this season.
Kaitlyn Crouch was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Crouch was also big at the plate, going a perfect 2-for-2 with three RBI.
In other batting news, Ella Sprague was a standout: she went a perfect 2-for-2 with four RBI, two runs, and one triple. Kimberly Crouch was another key player, getting on base in all three of her plate appearances with three stolen bases and three runs.
The victory was the fourth in a row for Clearwater, bringing their record up to 15-9. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.8 runs on average over those games. As for Countryside, their victory bumped their record up to 4-13.
Countryside's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Clearwater has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.3 hits per game. It's a different story for Countryside, though, as they've been averaging 9.6 hits. Given Clearwater's sizable advantage in that area, the Cougars will need to find a way to close that gap.
Clearwater took their win against Countryside in their previous meeting back in February by a conclusive 11-3 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Tornadoes since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
