The Dunedin Falcons will face off against the Clearwater Central Catholic Marauders at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams are strolling into their contests after big wins in their previous games.
Dunedin will roll into the match after a wild two-game stretch: they didn't score any runs on Tuesday, then bounced right back against Countryside on Thursday. The Falcons blew past the Cougars 13-3.
Maelaea Johnson was incredible, going 3-for-4 with one home run, five RBI, and three runs. That's the most runs she has posted since back in February. Another player making a difference was Riley Millican, who scored three runs while going 2-for-4.
Dunedin always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .533. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Countryside only posted an OBP of .320.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Clearwater Central Catholic, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Tuesday. They put the hurt on Hollins with a sharp 11-1 victory on Thursday. The Marauders might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six games by seven runs or more this season.
Madison Whelan spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered a run (which was unearned) on three hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Clearwater Central Catholic let Alexis Rosado and Bethanny Ortiz run wild. Rosado scored three runs and stole a base while going 3-for-3, while Ortiz scored three runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Rosado has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times she's played. Emma Carollo was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-3.
Dunedin has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 11-3 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.3 runs over those games. As for Clearwater Central Catholic, their victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 7-9.
Clearwater Central Catholic's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Tuesday. Dunedin has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.6 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Clearwater Central Catholic, though, as they've been averaging only 2.7 strikeouts. Will Dunedin keep running through batters, or will the Marauders buck the trend? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.
