Bryan has won 15 straight games at home (dating back to last season), while Montpelier has won 15 straight on the road, but those streaks won't matter much on Friday. The Golden Bears will welcome the Locomotives at 5:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Bryan's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. They blew past Evergreen 10-0. The win continues a trend for the Golden Bears in their matchups with the Vikings: they've now won three in a row.
Thea Staten
| 05/01/25 @ Evergreen | 15 |
| 04/28/25 @ Swanton | 20 |
| 04/24/25 vs Liberty Center | 12 |
| 04/22/25 vs Napoleon | 15 |
| 04/21/25 vs Patrick Henry | 20 |
| + 7 more games |
Thea Staten was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out 15 over five innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than ten strikeouts in 12 consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one home run, six RBI, and one double. Those six RBI gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, Reese Ruffer and Mylie Vollmer did most of the damage at the plate: Ruffer went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs and one RBI, while Vollmer went 1-for-3 with one home run. Another player making a difference was Averyann Fisher, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI and one double.
Bryan hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least four batters in four consecutive games.
Montpelier came out on top against Holgate on Tuesday thanks in part to the team's impressive six-run third inning. The Locomotives put the hurt on the Tigers with a sharp 12-2 victory.
Like Bryan, Montpelier also got a great game from a two-way player: Madelyn Hopper. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits while striking out 17 over seven innings pitched. Hopper was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with three RBI.
In other batting news, Lyla Mahan was incredible, going 4-for-5 with four RBI, one triple, and one run. Maggie Jacob was another key player, going 2-for-5 with four runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Montpelier is on a roll lately: they've won ten of their last 11 matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 12-5 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.1 runs on average over those games. As for Bryan, their victory bumped their record up to 11-3.
Bryan beat Montpelier 3-0 when the teams last played back in April of 2021. Will the Golden Bears repeat their success, or do the Locomotives have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
