The Utica Chieftains are taking a road trip to square off against the Fraser Ramblers at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.
Having struggled with three defeats in a row, Utica turned things around against L'Anse Creuse North on Tuesday. They blew past the Crusaders 12-2. With that victory, the Chieftains brought their scoring average up to 6.6 runs per game.
Violet Smith
| 04/22/25 vs L'Anse Creuse North | 5 |
| 04/04/25 @ L'Anse Creuse | 4 |
| 04/18/25 vs Lakeview | 3 |
| 04/17/25 @ Marysville | 3 |
| 05/22/24 @ Fraser | 3 |
Violet Smith made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out ten batters over six innings while giving up just two earned runs off three hits. She has been consistent: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in seven consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 5-for-5 with three runs, three RBI, and one stolen base. Those five hits gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Ava Mazza, who went 2-for-4 with one home run and one double. That's the most hits she has posted since back in May of 2024. Alora Hogsten also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.
Meanwhile, Fraser made easy work of Sterling Heights Stevenson on Tuesday and carried off a 14-3 win. The Ramblers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five contests by eight runs or more this season.
Fraser got a massive performance out of Peyton Mckernan, who went 3-for-4 with one home run, four RBI, and two doubles. The team also got some help courtesy of Irelyn Bednarchik, who went 3-for-4 with three runs, three RBI, and one double.
Fraser always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .639. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Sterling Heights Stevenson only posted an OBP of .150.
The victory made it two in a row for Fraser and bumps their season record up to 9-2. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.0 runs over those games. As for Utica, the victory got them back to even at 4-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Utica has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Fraser struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 6.9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Utica took their win against Fraser in their previous matchup back in May of 2024 by a conclusive 9-3 score. Will the Chieftains repeat their success, or do the Ramblers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
