The Fair Haven Slaters will square off against the Whitehall Railroaders at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Fair Haven is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Vermont's top teams: Springfield, who was ranked 15th at the time (Fair Haven was ranked 12th). The Slaters were the clear victors by a 13-5 margin over the Cosmos on Thursday. The win continues a trend for the Slaters in their matchups with the Cosmos: they've now won seven in a row.
Bella Oberkirch made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits (and only one walk). Oberkirch was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with three RBI, two doubles, and one run. Those doubles marked the first that she has hit this season.
In other batting news, Madison Hayes and Amelia Munger did most of the damage at the plate: Hayes got on base in three of her four plate appearances with two stolen bases, three runs, and one double, while Munger went 3-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. That double marked the first that Hayes has hit this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Quinn Durfee, who went 2-for-5 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
Fair Haven always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .568. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Whitehall never let their opponents score two weeks ago. They blew past Fort Edward 13-0. The Railroaders not only won two weeks ago, but they posted their biggest win since May 1, 2024 (when they won 16-1).
Khloe Paddock was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out eight over five innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts any time she's pitched this season. She was also big at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI, two doubles, and one stolen base.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Mia Waters, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with four runs, three RBI, and one stolen base. Another player making a difference was Haylee Pratt, who went 1-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Fair Haven's first victory this season bumped their record up to 1-5. As for Whitehall, their win was their first in the league, bumping their league record up to 1-2 and their overall record up to 2-2.
