The Montpelier Locomotives will take on the Bryan Golden Bears at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Bryan will be up against a hot Montpelier team: the squad just extended their winning streak to eight. Everything went the Locomotives' way against Holgate on Tuesday as they made off with a 12-2 win.
Madelyn Hopper
| 04/29/25 @ Holgate | 17 |
| 04/28/25 vs Antwerp | 17 |
| 04/26/25 vs Delta | 12 |
| 04/24/25 vs Hilltop | 11 |
| 04/22/25 vs Gorham Fayette | 9 |
| + 10 more games |
Madelyn Hopper made a splash no matter where she played. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out 17 over seven innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in 15 consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with three RBI.
In other batting news, Lyla Mahan was incredible, going 4-for-5 with four RBI, one triple, and one run. Those four RBI gave her a new career-high. Maggie Jacob also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.
Montpelier kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 15 hits. They are a perfect 9-0 when they post 11 or more hits.
Meanwhile, while Bryan put up some runs on Thursday, the same can't be said for Evergreen. The Golden Bears blew past the Vikings 10-0. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Golden Bears.
Like Montpelier, Bryan also got a great game from a two-way player: Thea Staten. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit while striking out 15 over five innings pitched. Staten was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one home run, six RBI, and one double.
In other batting news, Bryan let Reese Ruffer and Mylie Vollmer run wild. Ruffer went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs and one RBI, while Vollmer went 1-for-3 with one home run. Averyann Fisher was another key player, going 1-for-3 with two RBI and one double.
Montpelier pushed their record up to 12-5 with the victory, which was their fourth straight on the road. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 17.0 runs over those games. As for Bryan, their record is now 11-3.
Bryan's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Montpelier has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .445. It's a different story for Bryan, though, as they've only averaged .356. Will they be able to contain Montpelier's hitters?
Montpelier came up short against Bryan when the teams last played back in April of 2021, falling 3-0. Can the Locomotives avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
