Northwest Rankin is 8-2 against Brandon since April of 2022 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Thursday. The Cougars will face off against the Bulldogs at 6:00 p.m. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Northwest Rankin 2, Brandon 3.7) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Northwest Rankin is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand St. Martin a 14-0 shutout. The Cougars might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 15 matchups by six runs or more this season.
Bella Pierce looked comfortable as she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit over four innings pitched.
Hannah Sullivan
| 04/25/25 @ St. Martin | 3 |
| 03/27/25 @ Meridian | 2 |
| 03/27/25 @ Meridian | 2 |
| 03/21/25 vs Pearl | 2 |
| 02/22/25 vs Sumrall | 2 |
At the plate, Northwest Rankin got a massive performance out of Hannah Sullivan, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, three runs, and one double. Those three runs gave Sullivan a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Brooke Smith, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base.
Northwest Rankin always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .615. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as St. Martin only posted an OBP of .077.
Meanwhile, Brandon faced Ocean Springs in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Thursday. The Bulldogs beat the Greyhounds by the very same score they won with in their prior game: 7-6. The victory was nothing new for the Bulldogs as they're now sitting on five straight.
Dakota Davis was a major factor no matter where she played. She tossed eight innings while giving up just one earned (and five unearned) runs off eight hits. Davis was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two RBI and one double.
In other batting news, Hannah Jo Sullivan was incredible, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with two stolen bases, three runs, and one double. Lila Harrison was another key player, going 2-for-3 with one double and one RBI.
Northwest Rankin has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 17 of their last 19 contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 26-4 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.1 runs over those games. As for Brandon, their record is now 22-4.
Thursday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Northwest Rankin hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .351. However, it's not like Brandon struggles in that department as they've averaged .357. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Northwest Rankin couldn't quite get it done against Brandon when the teams last played on April 12th as they fell 5-2. Can the Cougars avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
