The Countryside Cougars are taking a road trip to square off against the Clearwater Central Catholic Marauders at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Countryside made up a huge gap compared to their last game against St. Petersburg, but they still couldn't quite topple them. The Cougars blew past the Green Devils 20-10 on Tuesday. The Cougars' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Kaitlyn Crouch
| 04/08/25 vs St. Petersburg | 4 |
| 03/25/25 @ Tarpon Springs | 3 |
| 03/28/24 @ Northeast | 2 |
| 03/26/24 @ Canterbury | 2 |
| 04/03/25 @ Dunedin | 1 |
Kaitlyn Crouch was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run over five innings pitched. Crouch was even better at the plate, going 3-for-4 with four RBI, one run, and one double. Those four RBI gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, Ella Sprague was incredible, scoring four runs and stealing three bases while getting on base in four of her five plate appearances. Those three stolen bases gave her a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Lily Mandilk, who went 2-for-5 with one home run and four RBI.
Countryside always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .628. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Clearwater Central Catholic played in-conference for the first time on Monday and got just the result they were looking for. They came out on top against Cardinal Mooney by a score of 5-1. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Marauders.
Madison Whelan spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on nine hits and racked up six Ks. She has been consistent : she hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Lily Rock, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base and two RBI. Kaelyn Foubister was another key player, scoring a run while going 1-for-3.
Clearwater Central Catholic pushed their record up to 9-10 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.3 runs on average over those games. As for Countryside, their victory ended a seven-game drought at home and bumped them up to 2-11.
Countryside couldn't quite get it done against Clearwater Central Catholic in their previous matchup back in March of 2024 as they fell 6-2. Can the Cougars avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
