Norwich Free Academy is on a five-game streak of home wins, while Amity Regional is on a seven-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Wildcats will welcome the Spartans at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.
Norwich Free Academy is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Connecticut's top teams: Fitch, who was ranked 11th at the time (Norwich Free Academy was ranked second). The Wildcats narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past the Falcons 8-7. That's two games straight that the Wildcats have won by just one run.
Dakota Bourdon made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run over seven innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going a perfect 4-for-4 with two doubles and one run. Those two doubles gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, Norwich Free Academy got a massive performance out of Mackenzie Rathbun, who went 2-for-3 with one home run and four RBI. Those four RBI gave Rathbun a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Ava Boenig, who went 3-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and one double.
Norwich Free Academy always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .559. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Fitch only posted an OBP of .351.
Meanwhile, Amity Regional posted their closest win since April 8th on Thursday. They skirted past Hand 2-1. The victory continues a trend for the Spartans in their matchups with the Tigers: they've now won nine in a row.
Gabby Celozzi looked comfortable as she pitched four innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Emily Cewe, who went 1-for-2 with two RBI and one run.
Norwich Free Academy's win bumped their record up to 11-2. As for Amity Regional, their victory bumped their record up to 13-1.
Both the two teams just can't seem to miss. Norwich Free Academy has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 10.2 hits per game. However, it's not like Amity Regional struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 2.6 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Norwich Free Academy beat Amity Regional 6-1 in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. Do the Wildcats have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Spartans turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
