The Arcadia Firebirds will head out to take on the Northampton Yellowjackets at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Arcadia has four straight wins, Northampton has six straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
On Monday, Arcadia beat Sts. Peter & Paul 7-2.
Ryann Giddens
| 05/12/25 vs Sts. Peter & Paul | 16 |
| 05/08/25 @ Chincoteague | 14 |
| 05/07/25 vs Holly Grove Christian | 11 |
| 05/06/25 @ Nandua | 13 |
| 05/02/25 @ Broadwater Academy | 12 |
| + 5 more games |
Ryann Giddens made a splash while hitting and pitching. She didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out 16 over seven innings pitched. That's the most strikeouts she has posted since back in April. She was also solid in the batter's box, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. She has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last four times she's played.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Payton Taylor, who got on base in two of her three plate appearances with two runs and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Brinlee Kauthen, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI and one run.
Arcadia hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least four batters in four consecutive matchups.
Mathews hit Northampton with a eight-run fourth inning on Friday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Yellowjackets came up short against the Blue Devils, falling 16-9.
Ryleigh Caison was cooking despite her team's loss, going a perfect 4-for-4 with three stolen bases, three RBI, and two runs. Ortavia Rogers was another key player, going 2-for-4 with three RBI, one stolen base, and one double.
Arcadia pushed their record up to 10-7 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.4 runs on average over those games. As for Northampton, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-12.
Northampton's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Tuesday. Arcadia has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 12 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Northampton, though, as they've been averaging only 3.1 strikeouts. Will Arcadia keep running through batters, or will the Yellowjackets buck the trend?
Everything went Arcadia's way against Northampton in their previous meeting two weeks ago, as Arcadia made off with a 16-0 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Firebirds since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
