The North Putnam Cougars will take on the Cloverdale Clovers at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. North Putnam is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.1 runs per game this season.
On Tuesday, North Putnam needed a bit of extra time to put away Owen Valley. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 5-3 victory over the Patriots.
Braxton Woodall
| 05/03/25 vs White River Valley | 3 |
| 05/06/25 @ Owen Valley | 2 |
| 04/10/25 @ Southmont | 2 |
| 04/15/25 @ Brown County | 1 |
| 04/12/25 @ Covington | 1 |
| + 1 more games |
The team relied heavily on Braxton Woodall, who went 1-for-3 with one home run and two runs. He is becoming a predictor of North Putnam's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 3-8 when he doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of Jayce Monnett, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one run.
Cloverdale couldn't beat South Vermillion on Monday even though they stacked four runs on them in the fifth inning. The Clovers came up short against the Wildcats, falling 16-5. The Clovers haven't had much luck with the Wildcats recently, as the team has come up short the last nine times they've met.
Cloverdale's defeat dropped their record down to 4-10. As for North Putnam, their win bumped their record up to 6-8.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. North Putnam has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Cloverdale struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.3 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
North Putnam took their victory against Cloverdale when the teams last played back in May of 2024 by a conclusive 8-0 score. Do the Cougars have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Clovers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
