The Bangor Rams will head out on the road to challenge the Hermon Hawks at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Bangor is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They blew past Mt. Ararat 14-1 on Monday. The victory continues a trend for the Rams in their matchups with the Eagles: they've now won six in a row.
Sophie Lynch and Abby Folsom did most of the damage at the plate: Lynch went a perfect 4-for-4 with three doubles, three RBI, and one run, while Folsom went 3-for-4 with three stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI. Those three doubles gave Lynch a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Emily Adams, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Bangor always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .636. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Hermon hadn't done well against Nokomis recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Monday. The Hawks were the clear victors by a 9-1 margin over the Warriors. The result was nothing new for the Hawks, who have now won eight matchups by eight runs or more so far this season.
Rebecca Balmas made a splash no matter where she played. She struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits (and not a single walk). Balmas was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs. That home run marked the first that she has launched this season.
In other batting news, Hermon let Sophie Peterson and Addy Waning run wild. Peterson got on base in three of her four plate appearances with one run and one RBI, while Waning got on base in all three of her plate appearances with one run and one RBI. Braelyn Wilcox was another key player, going 1-for-3 with two runs and one double.
The win (which was Hermon's ninth in a row) raised their record to 12-1. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.0 runs over those games. As for Bangor, their record now sits at 10-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Bangor has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Hermon struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Bangor might still be hurting after the 7-0 defeat they got from Hermon in their previous matchup back in May of 2024. Can the Rams avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
