The Branford Buccaneers will head out on the road to challenge the Madison County Cowboys at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both teams are coming into the matchup red-hot, with Branford sitting on four straight victories and Madison County on ten.
Branford is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Fort White a 6-0 shutout. Considering the Buccaneers have won 12 games by more than five runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Laila Arnold
| 05/08/25 vs Fort White | 1 |
| 05/01/25 vs Fort White | 2 |
| 04/29/25 vs Union County | 2 |
| 04/22/25 vs Bell | 1 |
| 04/08/25 vs Columbia | 1 |
| 04/04/25 vs Williston | 1 |
The result came thanks to Laila Arnold's shutout, as she gave up just three hits. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Alexandria Whitfield, who went 1-for-2 with two stolen bases and two runs. That's the most stolen bases she has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Cloey Criggall, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with two runs.
Meanwhile, Madison County had just enough and edged out Union County 4-2 on Thursday. That's two games straight that the Cowboys have won by exactly two runs.
Alden Bass was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run while striking out ten over seven innings pitched. Bass was also big at the plate, getting on base in two of her three plate appearances with two stolen bases and two runs.
In other batting news, Anna-Kayte Smith was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. Ryleigh Bass also deserves some recognition as she hit her first double of the season.
Madison County hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least five batters in three consecutive contests.
Madison County's win was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 19-1. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for Branford, their record is now 20-6.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Tuesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Branford has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.6 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Madison County struggles in that department as they've been averaging 2.9 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Branford couldn't quite finish off Madison County in their previous meeting back in February and fell 4-2. Can the Buccaneers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
