Brandon hasn't had much luck against Northwest Rankin recently, but that could start to change on Saturday. The Bulldogs will take on the Cougars at 3:30 p.m. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Brandon 3.6, Northwest Rankin 1.6) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Brandon will roll into the match after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up one run on Tuesday, then bounced right back against Pearl on Friday. The Bulldogs put the hurt on the Pirates with a sharp 13-5 victory. The win continues a trend for the Bulldogs in their matchups with the Pirates: they've now won nine in a row.
Evie Pickard and Dakota Davis made a splash no matter where they played. Throwing, Pickard pitched four innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off five hits. Meanwhile, Davis pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. At bat, Pickard went 1-for-2 with four RBI and one run, while Davis went 2-for-4 with three RBI and two doubles. That's the most doubles Davis has posted since back in March of 2024.
In other batting news, Chloe Jenkins was incredible, scoring three runs while going 3-for-5. Another player making a difference was Kelsey Keeton, who scored a run while going 3-for-4.
Brandon was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .394. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Pearl only posted a batting average of .226.
Meanwhile, Northwest Rankin came tearing into Thursday's contest with 13 straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8.2 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 3-2 W against the Warriors.
The team relied heavily on Brooke Smith, who went 3-for-4 with one triple, one stolen base, and one run. Jaliya Sullivian was another key player, going 1-for-2 with one home run.
Northwest Rankin pushed their record up to 23-2 with the victory, which was their sixth straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.8 runs on average over those games. As for Brandon, their record now sits at 18-4.
Saturday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Brandon hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .328. However, it's not like Northwest Rankin struggles in that department as they've averaged .363. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Brandon came up short against Northwest Rankin in their previous matchup last Tuesday, falling 8-5. Can the Bulldogs avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.