Softball Preview: Haddam-Killingworth Cougars vs. North Branford Thunderbirds
The Haddam-Killingworth Cougars will head out on the road to square off against the North Branford Thunderbirds at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
On Monday, everything went Haddam-Killingworth's way against Cromwell as Haddam-Killingworth made off with an 11-1 win. The victory made it back-to-back wins for Haddam-Killingworth.
Emma Giaccone spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on five hits and racked up eight Ks. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't pitched less than five innings in six consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, Hannah Reilly was incredible, going 3-for-4 with two triples, three runs, and two RBI. Grace Natanzon was another key contributor, scoring a run while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for North Branford, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Saturday. They never let Morgan onto the board and left with a 24-0 victory on Monday. That 24 run margin sets a new team best for North Branford this season.
Lauren Vitarisi made a splash no matter where she played. She didn't allow a single earned run over four innings pitched. Vitarisi was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with four runs, a triple, and two RBI.
In other batting news, North Branford got a massive performance out of Lindsey Onofrio, who scored five runs and stole a base while getting on base in all five of her plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Natalia Lucibello, who scored three runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-4.
Haddam-Killingworth's record now sits at 10-2. As for North Branford, their record is now 10-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Haddam-Killingworth has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like North Branford struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.6. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Haddam-Killingworth suffered a grim 11-1 defeat to North Branford when the teams last played two weeks ago. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of North Branford's Kiley Mullins, who struck out 11 batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits (and only one walk). Now that Haddam-Killingworth knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
