Valley Regional hasn't had much luck against North Branford recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Warriors will take on the Thunderbirds at 4:00 p.m. Valley Regional is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.3 runs per game this season.
Valley Regional made up a huge gap compared to their last game against Haddam-Killingworth, but they still couldn't quite topple them. The Warriors fell just short of the Cougars by a score of 2-0 on Wednesday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest defeat the Warriors have suffered since April 16th.
Paige Williams
| 05/07/25 vs Haddam-Killingworth | 7 |
| 05/03/25 vs Somers | 11 |
| 05/01/25 @ East Hampton | 9 |
| 04/29/25 @ Somers | 13 |
| 04/28/25 @ Coginchaug Regional | 8 |
| + 5 more games |
Paige Williams spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and one unearned) run on five hits and racked up seven Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in ten consecutive appearances.
Meanwhile, North Branford strolled into their game on Wednesday with a perfect record and they left with the same. They put the hurt on Morgan with a sharp 20-1 win. The result was nothing new for the Thunderbirds, who have now won eight matchups by seven runs or more so far this season.
Emilyn Nay made a big impact no matter where she played. She tossed five innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. Nay was also big at the plate, getting on base in four of her five plate appearances with two runs. Those two runs gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Lexi Falcioni, who got on base in four of her five plate appearances with one home run, three runs, and four RBI. Another player making a difference was Alia Martone, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI.
North Branford was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .556. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.
North Branford pushed their record up to 12-0 with the victory, which was their 14th straight at home dating back to last season. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.3 runs over those games. As for Valley Regional, their loss dropped their record down to 8-6.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Valley Regional has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.3 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like North Branford struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.9 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Valley Regional might still be hurting after the 12-0 defeat they got from North Branford in their previous meeting back in April. Can the Warriors avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
