The Clayton Comets will head out to face off against the Southern Lee Cavaliers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Having struggled with seven losses in a row dating back to last season, Clayton turned things around against Rosewood on Wednesday. Everything went their way against the Eagles as they made off with a 17-3 victory. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest win the Comets have posted since April 19, 2024.
Gabe Schellinger looked comfortable as he struck out six batters over two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits.
At the plate, Clayton let Landon Evans and Grant Buchanan run wild. Evans went a perfect 4-for-4 with four RBI, one triple, and one stolen base, while Buchanan scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-3. The dominant performance gave Evans a new career-high in RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Jamison Lynch, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, Southern Lee took care of business in their home opener (and then some) on Monday. They blew past Western Harnett 14-3. The game snapped a strange streak: the last five times these teams have met, it?s been the away team that?s taken home the W.
Bryan McCollum was a major factor no matter where he played. He pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. That's the first time he hasn't allowed a single hit since back in February of 2024. He was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
In other batting news, Luke Waters and Cole Faulk did most of the damage at the plate: Waters got on base in all four of his plate appearances with four RBI, one stolen base, and one run, while Faulk scored three runs while going 2-for-2. Spencer Stephens was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 1-for-3.
Southern Lee always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .625. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Western Harnett only posted an OBP of .250.
Clayton came out on top in a nail-biter against Southern Lee in their previous matchup back in February of 2019, sneaking past 4-3. The rematch might be a little tougher for Clayton since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
