vs
| 04/01/25 - Away | 8-5 W |
| 04/18/24 - Away | 15-4 W |
| 04/01/24 - Home | 10-0 W |
| 05/14/23 - Away | 4-1 W |
| 05/13/23 - Home | 6-4 W |
| + 5 more games |
Northwest Rankin is 9-1 against Brandon since April of 2022 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Saturday. The Cougars will be playing in front of their home fans against the Bulldogs at 3:30 p.m. Northwest Rankin will be looking to extend their current 14-game winning streak.
While Northwest Rankin's victory against Oak Grove wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Cougars skirted past the Warriors 3-2.
Brooke Smith was incredible, going 3-for-4 with one triple, one stolen base, and one run. Another player making a difference was Jaliya Sullivian, who went 1-for-2 with one home run.
Meanwhile, after only one run in their last contest, Brandon made sure to put some runs up on the board against Pearl on Friday. The Bulldogs blew past the Pirates 13-5. Considering the Bulldogs have won 11 games by more than seven runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Evie Pickard and Dakota Davis made a splash no matter where they played. Throwing, Pickard pitched four innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off five hits. Meanwhile, Davis tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. At bat, Pickard went 1-for-2 with four RBI and one run, while Davis went 2-for-4 with three RBI and two doubles. Those four RBI gave Pickard a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Chloe Jenkins, who scored three runs while going 3-for-5. The team also got some help courtesy of Kelsey Keeton, who scored a run while going 3-for-4.
Brandon was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .394. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Pearl only posted a batting average of .226.
Northwest Rankin's win was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 23-2. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.8 runs on average over those games. As for Brandon, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matchups. That somehow still isn't as good as their 18-4 record this season.
Saturday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Northwest Rankin hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .363. However, it's not like Brandon struggles in that department as they've averaged .328. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Northwest Rankin was able to grind out a solid win over Brandon in their previous matchup last Tuesday, winning 8-5. Do the Cougars have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Bulldogs turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
