The Brimfield Indians will venture away from home to face off against the Havana Ducks at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Brimfield's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. They put the hurt on Delavan with a sharp 10-0 win. The victory continues a trend for the Indians in their matchups with the Panthers: they've now won six in a row.
Kendyl Binder was incredible, going 2-for-4 with one triple, two RBI, and one run. The team also got some help courtesy of Layni Linthicum, who scored two runs while going 1-for-3.
Brimfield was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .440. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Delavan only posted a batting average of .118.
Meanwhile, Havana strolled into their game on Wednesday with an undefeated record and they left with the same. They were the clear victors by a 13-2 margin over Abingdon/Avon. That looming 13-2 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Ducks yet this season.
Maddie Howerter was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run while striking out 12 over five innings pitched. With that strong performance, she is now averaging an impressive 5.9 strikeouts per game. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with one triple and two RBI.
In other batting news, Kaydi Miller and Addie Atwater did most of the damage at the plate: Miller scored three runs and stole two bases while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances, while Atwater went 1-for-4 with three runs, four RBI, and one double. Evy Smith also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen bases of the season.
Brimfield pushed their record up to 11-2 with the win, which was their 16th straight at home dating back to last season. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.9 runs on average over those games. As for Havana, their record is now 8-0-1.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Saturday. Brimfield hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.5 home runs per game. However, it's not like Havana struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 0.9 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Brimfield was able to grind out a solid win over Havana in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, winning 8-4. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Indians since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
