Bell hasn't had much luck against Branford recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Bell Bulldogs are taking a road trip to take on the Branford Buccaneers at 7:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Bell will bounce into Tuesday's contest after beating Hamilton County, who they had gone 2-7 against in their nine prior meetings. Everything went Bell's way against Hamilton County on Friday as Bell made off with an 11-5 win. The victory was nothing new for the Bulldogs as they're now sitting on five straight.
Bell got a massive performance out of Rocco Iovinelli, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. RJ Leffler also deserves some recognition as he hit his first triple of the season.
Bell always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .622. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Hamilton County only posted an OBP of .323.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Branford, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Thursday. They never let Bronson get on the board and left with a 10-0 win on Friday. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Buccaneers considering their two-run performance the matchup before.
Jackson Skinner made a splash no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out ten over five innings pitched. He has been consistent : he hasn't given up more than two hits in six consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-2.
In other batting news, Patrick Williams was a standout: he went 2-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. He is becoming a predictor of Branford's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 1-5 when he doesn't). Holston Frazier was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.
Branford is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven games. That's provided a nice bump to their 9-5 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.4 runs on average over those games. Bell's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 7-4.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Tuesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Bell has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.2 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Branford struggles in that department as they've been averaging 5.6 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Bell might still be hurting after the 8-2 loss they got from Branford in their previous matchup back in April of 2023. Can Bell avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
