Softball Game Preview: Branham Bruins vs. King's Academy Knights

The Branham Bruins will head out on the road to challenge the King's Academy Knights at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

On Thursday, Branham got the win against Leigh by a conclusive 7-1.

Jacque Connolly - Hojas made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run over seven innings pitched. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with one double and one RBI.

In other batting news, CC Bonnard was excellent, going 2-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double. Ellie Bliss was another key player, going 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI.

Meanwhile, King's Academy never let their opponents score on Thursday. They came out on top against Woodside by a score of 4-0. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Knights.

Not much got past Katia Nesper, who gave up just a hit and racked up 14 Ks to keep Woodside off the board.

On the hitting side, King's Academy saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Mia Bennette, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI. That's the most RBI Bennette has posted since back in April.

Branham's record is now 10-11. As for King's Academy, their record now sits at 11-7.

Branham skirted past King's Academy 5-3 when the teams last played back in March of 2023. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Bruins since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.