The Creekside Knights will challenge the Clay Blue Devils at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Creekside 3.9, Clay 3.4) so any runs scored will be well earned.
For whatever reason, it's the away team that's had the advantage when Creekside and St. Joseph Academy meet (three straight games heading into this one) and that held true again on Wednesday. Creekside walked away with an 8-5 victory over St. Joseph Academy.
Nicholas Romeu looked comfortable as he pitched four innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Connor Balazic, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with one home run and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Zack Jackson, who went 3-for-5 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one double.
Creekside always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .553. The last time their OBP was this high was back in March of 2024.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Clay, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Friday. They walked away with a 9-4 win over Middleburg on Tuesday. The Blue Devils haven't had any issues with the Broncos recently, as the game was their eighth consecutive victory against them.
Clay also got a great performance from Rylan McMahan as he struck out eight batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits.
On the hitting side, Peyton McCrae and Cole Carnell did most of the damage at the plate: McCrae scored a run while going 2-for-3, while Carnell scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. What's more, McCrae posted two RBI, the most he's had since back in February. Levi Chmura was another key player, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 1-for-3.
Creekside is on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last nine matchups. That's provided a massive bump to their 12-7 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.2 runs over those games. Clay's victory bumped their record up to 12-6.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Creekside has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Clay struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
