The Brattleboro Bears will venture away from home to challenge the Bellows Falls Terriers at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Brattleboro's pitching crew has only allowed 3.2 runs per game this season, so Bellows Falls' hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Brattleboro is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Vermont's top teams: Burr & Burton, who was ranked 22nd at the time (Brattleboro was ranked 11th). The Bears came out on top against the Bulldogs on Friday by a score of 3-1 (the very same score they lost by in their prior game). For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Bears have posted since June 4, 2024.
Eric Kurucz spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered a run (which was unearned) on six hits.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on John Satterfield, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases and one run.
Meanwhile, Bellows Falls beat Otter Valley 4-1 on Saturday. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Terriers.
Jake Tostrup was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out seven over seven innings pitched. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Bellows Falls is 6-1 when he allows at most two earned runs, but 3-5 otherwise. Tostrup was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with two RBI and one double. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in April.
Tostrup wasn't the only one making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Eli Allbee, who went 1-for-3 with one run.
Bellows Falls pushed their record up to 9-6 with the win, which was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.6 runs on average over those games. As for Brattleboro, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 7-5 record this season.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Brattleboro has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Bellows Falls struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Brattleboro beat Bellows Falls 7-2 in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Bears since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
