The Clay Panthers will face off against the Southern Tornadoes at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. The last three games Clay has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.
Clay took a 13-run defeat the last time they faced off against Valley, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. The Panthers had just enough and edged out the Indians 7-6 on Wednesday.
Southern never got on the board in their matchup on Tuesday, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against Alexander on Wednesday. They came out on top against the Spartans by a score of 10-6.
Wyatt Smith spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered three earned (and three unearned) runs on nine hits.
At the plate, Southern let Kase Nelson and Greyson Duvall run wild. Nelson went 2-for-4 with three RBI, one run, and one double, while Duvall went 4-for-5 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. Those four hits gave Duvall a new career-high. Jake Wickline was another key player, going 1-for-4 with three RBI, one stolen base, and one run.
Clay has been performing well recently as they've won ten of their last 12 matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 19-6 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.7 runs over those games. As for Southern, their victory bumped their record up to 10-11.
Clay couldn't quite get it done against Southern in their previous meeting back in May of 2025 as they fell 4-0. Can the Panthers 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
