Softball Preview: Western Branch Bruins vs. Manor Mustangs
The Western Branch Bruins will look to defend their home field on Monday against the Manor Mustangs at 5:30 p.m. Both teams come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Western Branch took a loss when they played away from home on Thursday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past Nansemond-Suffolk Academy 6-5.
Kassidy Oneail spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered five earned runs on ten hits and racked up six Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't pitched less than six innings in nine consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Marissa Bernheimer, who went 2-for-3 with a home run, five RBI, and a double. Another player making a difference was Kaileigh Taylor, who scored a run while going 3-for-3.
Meanwhile, Manor earned a 10-6 win over Maury on Tuesday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for Manor.
Manor let :London Coker and Willow Wilson loose on the outfield. Coker scored a run and stole three bases while going 3-for-4, while Wilson scored two runs while going 2-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Tiffany Hensley, who scored two runs while going 2-for-4.
Western Branch's victory bumped their record up to 9-5. As for Manor, they are on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last nine games, which provided a nice bump to their 9-5 record this season.
Manor's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Western Branch has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 8.7 hits per game. It's a different story for Manor, though, as they've been averaging 9.7. Given Western Branch's sizable advantage in that area, Manor will need to find a way to close that gap.
Western Branch took their win against Manor in their previous meeting back in May of 2023 by a conclusive 14-1. Will Western Branch repeat their success, or does Manor have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
