The Clifton Central Comets will head out on the road to square off against the Gardner-South Wilmington Panthers at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Clifton Central has six straight victories, Gardner-South Wilmington has three straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
On Monday, Clifton Central made easy work of St. Anne and carried off a 13-1 win.
Blake Chandler made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and only two hits while striking out six over 4.1 innings pitched. Chandler has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive pitching appearances. Chandler was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a home run, three runs, and four RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Derek Meier, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4. He has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last four times he's played. Another player making a difference was Blaike Archer, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in two of his three plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Gardner-South Wilmington fell victim to a tough 13-3 defeat at the hands of Westmont on Monday.
Gardner-South Wilmington saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Bennett Grant, who scored a run while going 2-for-4.
Clifton Central is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last nine games, which provided a nice bump to their 11-6 record this season. As for Gardner-South Wilmington, they now have a losing record at 8-9.
Tuesday's match might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Clifton Central has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .463. However, it's not like Gardner-South Wilmington struggles in that department as they've averaged .433. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Clifton Central couldn't quite finish off Gardner-South Wilmington in their previous meeting back in April of 2023 and fell 4-2. Can Clifton Central avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
