The Mt. Mansfield Cougars will head out on the road to square off against the Hartford Hurricanes at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Mt. Mansfield had to skate by with only a two-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the ten-run drubbing they dealt Middlebury on Wednesday. The Cougars' pitcher stepped up to hand the Tigers a 10-0 shutout. The Cougars not only won on Wednesday, but they posted their biggest win since May 4, 2024 (when they won 12-0).
Langdon Hazen made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Hazen was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 4-for-4 with three stolen bases, four runs, and two doubles.
In other batting news, Caleb Murphy was incredible, going a perfect 4-for-4 with two stolen bases, three runs, and one double. Another player making a difference was Garrett Carter, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Hartford made easy work of Fair Haven on Thursday and carried off a 14-6 win. The Hurricanes haven't had any issues with the Slaters recently, as the game was their seventh consecutive victory against them.
Like Mt. Mansfield, Hartford also got a great game from a two-way player: Wyatt Chambers. Throwing, Chambers didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out 11 over four innings pitched. Meanwhile, Carter Williams struck out six batters over 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. At bat, Chambers got on base in three of his five plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and one double, while Williams went 3-for-4 with one run.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Solly Flores, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with two stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI. Noah Jenks was another, going a perfect 1-for-1 with one run and one RBI.
Mt. Mansfield pushed their record up to 2-0 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home dating back to last season. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.8 runs over those games. As for Hartford, their win (their first of the season) made their record 1-2.
Everything went Mt. Mansfield's way against Hartford in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, as Mt. Mansfield made off with a 14-4 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Cougars since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
