The Melrose-Mindoro Mustangs will head out to challenge the Independence/Gilmanton Indees at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Neither of those teams managed to put together many runs in their previous contests, so the offenses might be a little more motivated than usual.
Melrose-Mindoro is probably headed into the game with a chip on their shoulder considering Augusta just ended the team's three-game winning streak on Thursday. They wound up with the same score they had in their last game (3-2), but sadly the team found themselves on the wrong side of the score this time. The contest marked their lowest-scoring matchup so far this season.
Bella Rozek put in work no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, tossing seven innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off seven hits. Rozek was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in two of her four plate appearances with one stolen base and one run.
In other batting news, Cooper Zeman was cooking despite her team's loss, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one stolen base and one run. Opal Buchanan was another key player, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with one stolen base and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Independence/Gilmanton suffered their closest defeat since April 11, 2025 on Thursday. They fell just short of Eleva-Strum by a score of 3-1. The Indees have struggled against the Cardinals recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive lost matchup.
Independence/Gilmanton saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Hadley Sylla, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base and one run.
The loss was their first at home, dropping their record down to 9-2. As for Independence/Gilmanton, their record now sits at 3-5.
Independence/Gilmanton's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Melrose-Mindoro has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .439. It's a different story for Independence/Gilmanton, though, as they've only averaged .288. Will they be able to contain Melrose-Mindoro's hitters?
Melrose-Mindoro skirted past Independence/Gilmanton 5-4 when the teams last played back in April. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Mustangs since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
