The West Branch Warriors will head out to face off against the Claysburg-Kimmel Bulldogs at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as West Branch comes in on eight and Claysburg-Kimmel on ten.
West Branch's pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. They came out on top against Glendale by a score of 4-0.
Makena Moore
| 04/22/25 vs Glendale | 17 |
| 04/17/25 vs Mount Union | 9 |
| 04/14/25 @ Moshannon Valley | 15 |
| 04/04/25 @ Curwensville | 17 |
| 03/31/25 vs Cambria Heights | 11 |
| + 4 more games |
Not much got past Makena Moore, who gave up just a hit and racked up 17 Ks to keep Glendale off the board. Moore has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than nine strikeouts in nine consecutive appearances.
At the plate, West Branch secured the victory behind a pair of hitters. One of them was Haley Woodling, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI.
Meanwhile, Claysburg-Kimmel was able to grind out a solid win over Tussey Mountain on Tuesday, taking the game 6-1.
Launa Musselman was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out six over seven innings pitched. Musselman was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two doubles and two RBI. Those two doubles gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, Claysburg-Kimmel let Zailee Bush and Bella Francona run wild. Bush went a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base, while Francona went 2-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and one stolen base. Those three hits gave Bush a new career-high. Harlee Harcolerode was another key player, going 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one double.
Claysburg-Kimmel was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .393. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Tussey Mountain only posted a batting average of .087.
Claysburg-Kimmel's victory was their 18th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 10-0. As for West Branch, their record is now 9-1.
Thursday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. West Branch hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .321. However, it's not like Claysburg-Kimmel struggles in that department as they've averaged .349. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
West Branch suffered a grim 9-3 defeat to Claysburg-Kimmel in their previous matchup back in May of 2024. Can the Warriors avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
