The Masuk Panthers will venture away from home to challenge the North Branford Thunderbirds at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
North Branford will face off against a team with plenty of momentum: Masuk extended their winning streak to 30 on Friday. The Panthers came out on top against Southington by a score of 6-2. Six seems to be a good number for the Panthers as the team scooped up a win with the same number of runs in their previous game.
Julia Bacoulis
| 04/11/25 @ Southington | 17 |
| 04/09/25 vs Warde | 15 |
| 06/08/24 vs Ellington | 13 |
| 06/04/24 vs Guilford | 12 |
| 06/01/24 vs Mercy | 9 |
| + 11 more games |
Julia Bacoulis was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she struck out 17 batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned runs off two hits. That's the most strikeouts she has posted since back in May of 2024. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-4 with one home run and two RBI.
In other batting news, Madison Aguirre was incredible, going 2-for-4 with one home run and two runs. That's the most runs she has posted since back in May of 2024. Another player making a difference was Alyssa Castillo, who scored a run while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, while North Branford put up plenty of runs on Friday, the same can't be said for Valley Regional. The Thunderbirds blew past the Warriors 13-0. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Thunderbirds.
Like Masuk, North Branford also got a great game from a two-way player: Lauren Vitarisi. She looked comfortable on the mound, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out seven over five innings pitched. Vitarisi was also big at the plate, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with one RBI.
In other batting news, North Branford got a massive performance out of Lily Ardito, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Lexi Falcioni was another key player, going 3-for-4 with four RBI, one run, and one double.
North Branford always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .594. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Valley Regional only posted an OBP of .250.
Masuk pushed their record up to 2-0 with the victory, which was their 13th straight on the road dating back to last season. The road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.0 runs over those games. As for North Branford, their record is now 2-0.
Masuk beat North Branford 7-4 in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Panthers since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
