The Clever Blue Jays will square off against the Southwest Trojans at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
If Clever beats Southwest with eight runs on Thursday, it's going to be the squad's new lucky number: they've won their past two matches with that exact score. The Blue Jays came out on top in a nail-biter against Springfield Catholic on Tuesday, sneaking past 8-7. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Blue Jays.
Ava Mittag spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered five earned (and two unearned) runs on 11 hits.
Taylor Thompson
| 04/22/25 vs Springfield Catholic | 3 |
| 04/17/25 vs Strafford | 2 |
| 04/09/25 @ Spokane | 2 |
| 03/24/25 @ Ava | 2 |
| 04/10/25 @ Reeds Spring | 1 |
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Taylor Thompson, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI, one run, and one double. Those three RBI gave her a new career-high. Piper Steele was another key player, going 2-for-3 with one stolen base and one run.
Meanwhile, Southwest made easy work of Verona on Tuesday and carried off a 16-1 victory. The result was nothing new for the Trojans, who have now won six contests by eight runs or more so far this season.
Kaleigh Tull made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over three innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits (and not a single walk). She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in four consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with three stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Raeli Miles was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two stolen bases, four RBI, and two runs. Another player making a difference was Riley Flippo, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Southwest always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .654. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Clever's win was their seventh straight at home, which pushed their record up to 15-4. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.3 runs on average over those games. As for Southwest, their win ended a four-game drought at home and bumped them up to 7-6.
Thursday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Clever has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .464. However, it's not like Southwest struggles in that department as they've averaged .461. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Clever took their victory against Southwest in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 16-0 score. Will the Blue Jays repeat their success, or do the Trojans have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
