Softball Recap: Western Branch Wins High-Profile Matchup Against Hickory

Western Branch faced Hickory in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Thursday. The Bruins walked away with a 9-6 win over the Hawks. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last five times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.

Haylee Bandura

Base on Balls Against

05/08/25 vs Hickory	2
05/05/25 vs Nansemond-Suffolk Academy	2
05/01/25 @ Grassfield	1
04/24/25 @ Great Bridge	2

Haylee Bandura spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered five earned (and one unearned) runs on ten hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, Ashley Matthews and Lilly Creef did most of the damage at the plate: Matthews went 3-for-4 with three runs, two doubles, and one stolen base, while Creef went 2-for-3 with one home run and four RBI. That's the most RBI Creef has posted since back in March. Marissa Bernheimer was another key player, going 1-for-4 with one home run.

Western Branch is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 13-3 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.5 runs over those games. As for Hickory, with the loss, they broke their eight-game winning streak and moved their record to 16-2.

Coming up, Western Branch will take on York at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. As for Hickory, they will square off against Nansemond River at 5:45 p.m. on Tuesday.