vs
| 04/15/25 - Home | 7-1 W |
| 04/09/24 - Away | 18-0 W |
| 04/11/23 - Home | 18-2 W |
| 04/12/22 - Away | 11-0 W |
| 04/13/21 - Home | 12-9 W |
| + 5 more games |
Clay City is 9-1 against North Central since April of 2015 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Saturday. The Eels will face off against the Thunderbirds at 6:30 p.m. Clay City's pitching crew has only allowed 3.9 runs per game this season, so North Central's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Clay City is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They had just enough and edged out Bloomfield 3-2. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Eels have posted since April 12, 2024.
Trey Dayhoff made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out eight batters over 5.2 innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off five hits. Dayhoff was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two runs and one double.
Dayhoff wasn't the only one making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Zain Keller, who went 2-for-4 with one RBI.
Meanwhile, North Central got themselves on the board against White River Valley on Thursday, but White River Valley never followed suit. They put the hurt on the Wolverines with a sharp 10-0 win. The victory continues a trend for the Thunderbirds in their matchups with the Wolverines: they've now won three in a row.
Like Clay City, North Central also got a great game from a two-way player: Lane Phegley. On the mound, he kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 17 over seven innings pitched. Phegley also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because North Central is undefeated when he allows at most one earned run, but 3-14 otherwise. Phegley was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two doubles, two RBI, and one run. Those two doubles gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, Colton Taylor was excellent, going 2-for-4 with one triple, two RBI, and one run. Those two RBI gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Greydyn Walters, who went 2-for-3 with two runs and one stolen base.
Clay City has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five games. That's provided a massive bump to their 9-8 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.2 runs over those games. As for North Central, their victory bumped their record up to 6-14.
Clay City took their win against North Central when the teams last played back in April by a conclusive 7-1 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Eels since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
