The Western Branch Bruins will head out on the road to square off against the Greenbrier Christian Academy Gators at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with Western Branch sitting on five straight victories and Greenbrier Christian Academy on three.
Western Branch gave up the first runs on Friday, but they didn't let that get them down. They blew past Landstown 9-3. The nine-run effort marked the Bruins' lowest-scoring game of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.
Haylee Bandura looked comfortable as she tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks any time she's pitched this season.
On the hitting side, Western Branch let Maddie Lemasters and Kaileigh Taylor run wild. Lemasters went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one triple, while Taylor went 3-for-5 with two runs, one triple, and one double. That triple was Taylor's first of the season. Amiya Wilson was another key player, going 1-for-3 with one triple, one stolen base, and one run.
Western Branch kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 16 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least nine hits in eight consecutive matches dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, while Greenbrier Christian Academy put up plenty of runs on Thursday, the same can't be said for Broadwater Academy. Greenbrier Christian Academy put the hurt on Broadwater Academy with a sharp 11-0 win. Considering the Gators have won six contests by more than nine runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Haleigh Murphy was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 11 over five innings pitched. Furthermore, she didn't allow a single hit, the first time she has blanked an opponent since back in April of 2024. She was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with one home run and two runs.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Katelyn Balka, who scored three runs while going 3-for-4. Another player making a difference was Reagan Frank, who went 2-for-4 with three RBI and one triple.
Greenbrier Christian Academy's victory was their 11th straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 8-1. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.4 runs on average over those games. As for Western Branch, their record now sits at 5-0.
Western Branch couldn't quite get it done against Greenbrier Christian Academy in their previous matchup back in April of 2024 as they fell 4-1. Can Western Branch avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
