The Brick Memorial Mustangs will venture away from home to take on the Barnegat Bengals at 3:45 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Brick Memorial 3.7, Barnegat 2.6) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Brick Memorial gave up the first runs on Thursday, but they didn't let that get them down. They had just enough and edged out Toms River South 8-6. The Mustangs haven't had any issues with the Indians recently, as the game was their third consecutive win against them.
Avery Nalducci
| 05/01/25 @ Toms River South | 7 |
| 04/29/25 @ Lacey Township | 6 |
| 04/25/25 @ Point Pleasant Boro | 8 |
| 04/21/25 @ Point Pleasant Beach | 17 |
| 04/15/25 vs Toms River South | 13 |
| + 2 more games |
Avery Nalducci made a big impact no matter where she played. On the mound, she struck out seven batters over seven innings while giving up six earned runs off seven hits. She has been consistent: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts any time she's pitched this season. She was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with two runs and one stolen base. That stolen base marked the first that she has snagged this season.
In other batting news, Carly Hobbs was incredible, going a perfect 4-for-4 with four RBI, two doubles, and one run. Another player making a difference was Giselle Lizardi, who went 1-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
Brick Memorial hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Toms River South struck out seven times.
Meanwhile, Barnegat entered their tilt with Point Pleasant Beach on Thursday with nine consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with ten. They were the clear victors by an 11-0 margin over the Garnet Gulls. Considering the Bengals have won nine matches by more than five runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Barnegat pushed their record up to 14-4 with the victory, which was their ninth straight on the road. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.2 runs over those games. As for Brick Memorial, their record now sits at 9-5.
Brick Memorial took their victory against Barnegat in their previous matchup back in April by a conclusive 10-0 score. Will the Mustangs repeat their success, or do the Bengals have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
