Branford has gone 8-2 against Bell recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Tuesday. The Branford Buccaneers will look to defend their home field against the Bell Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Branford 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 never let Bronson get on the board and left with a 10-0 victory. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Buccaneers considering their two-run performance the matchup before.
Jackson Skinner made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out ten over five innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two hits in six consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-2.
Patrick Williams
| 03/04/25 vs Hamilton County | 3 |
| 02/28/25 vs St. John Lutheran | 3 |
| 02/18/25 @ Bronson | 3 |
| 02/14/25 vs Crescent City | 3 |
| 03/14/25 vs Bronson | 2 |
| + 4 more games |
In other batting news, Patrick Williams was a standout: he went 2-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. He is becoming a predictor of Branford's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 1-5 when he doesn't). Troy Roberts was another key player, scoring a run and stealing Four bases. while going 1-for-3.
Branford was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .400. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Bronson only posted a batting average of .059.
Meanwhile, Bell had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 4.5 runs) and they went ahead and made it five on Friday. They were the clear victor by an 11-5 margin over the Trojans.
Bell got a massive performance out of Rocco Iovinelli, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of RJ Leffler, who scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Branford's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 9-5. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Bell, their victory bumped their record up to 7-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Branford has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Bell struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Branford took their win against Bell when the teams last played back in April of 2023 by a conclusive 8-2. Does Branford have another victory up their sleeve, or will Bell turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
