Clay is on a five-game streak of home wins, while St. Johns Country Day is on a four-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Clay Blue Devils will host the St. Johns Country Day Spartans at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Clay is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They were the clear victor by a 14-2 margin over Bishop Kenny on Wednesday. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest win of the season.
Levi Chmura was a major factor no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run while striking out seven over four innings pitched. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, three RBI, and one double.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Merrick Rapoza, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, five RBI, and two runs. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in May of 2024. Another player making a difference was Cole Carnell, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3.
Clay always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .667. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, St. Johns Country Day made easy work of Baldwin on Thursday and carried off an 8-2 victory. The win continues a trend for the Spartans in their matchups with the Indians: they've now won seven in a row.
St. Johns Country Day also got a great performance from Austin Stratmann as he struck out eight batters over five innings while giving up just two earned runs off five hits.
At the plate, TJ Sunderhaus was a standout: he scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-5. Preston Cole was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 3-for-3.
Clay's victory bumped their record up to 9-2. As for St. Johns Country Day, their win bumped their record up to an identical 9-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Clay has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.5 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like St. Johns Country Day struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Clay suffered a grim 17-3 defeat to St. Johns Country Day in their previous matchup back in March of 2024. Will Clay have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
