The Clay Blue Devils are taking a road trip to square off against the Ridgeview Panthers at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Clay will be strutting in after a win while Ridgeview will be coming in after a defeat.
Clay took a loss when they played away from home on Monday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Wednesday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Bradford a 10-0 shutout. The result was nothing new for the Blue Devils, who have now won five games by seven runs or more so far this season.
Clay let Hailey Hackett and D'Reah Watson run wild. Hackett went 2-for-3 with two RBI and one run, while Watson went 1-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double. That run was Hackett's first of the season. Another player making a difference was Kaelye Rouw, who earned two RBI and one run.
Clay was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .381. They are a perfect 4-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Meanwhile, Ridgeview was not able to break out of their rough patch on Wednesday as the team picked up their third straight loss. They fell 9-6 to Bolles.
Saige Bialek spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered six earned (and three unearned) runs on seven hits and racked up seven Ks. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in ten consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Hannah Smith was cooking despite her team's loss, going 3-for-4 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Clay is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 6-10 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.5 runs over those games. As for Ridgeview, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-10.
Clay couldn't quite finish off Ridgeview in their previous matchup back in March and fell 4-2. Can the Blue Devils avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
