Baseball Game Preview: Fort Bragg Timberwolves vs. Middletown Mustangs

The Fort Bragg Timberwolves will be defending their home field for the first time this season when they go up against the Middletown Mustangs at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Fort Bragg's pitching crew has only allowed 3.1 runs per game this season, so Middletown's hitters will have their work cut out for them.

For whatever reason, it's the away team that's had the advantage when Fort Bragg and Clear Lake meet (three straight games heading into this one) and that held true again on Friday. The Timberwolves walked away with a 7-4 win over the Cardinals. The Timberwolves haven't had any issues with the Cardinals recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive victory against them.

Carter Killion spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered three earned (and one unearned) runs on five hits.

Chris Hernandez

Runs

04/04/25 @ Clear Lake	3
03/28/25 @ Upper Lake	2
03/25/25 @ Eureka	2
03/25/25 @ Eureka	2
03/15/25 vs Colusa	2
+ 5 more games

On the hitting side, Fort Bragg let Dane Salo and Chris Hernandez run wild. Salo scored a run and stole three bases while going 3-for-4, while Hernandez scored three runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3. That's the most runs Hernandez has posted since back in April of 2024. Another player making a difference was Donavyn Ivey, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.

Meanwhile, Middletown came up short against Kelseyville on Monday, falling 14-4. The defeat continues a trend for the Mustangs in their meetings with the Knights: they've now lost five in a row.

Jon Hawkins made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-2.

Middletown's loss dropped their record down to 3-5-1. As for Fort Bragg, their win bumped their record up to 8-1.

Middletown's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Fort Bragg has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .436. It's a different story for Middletown, though, as they've only averaged .337. Will they be able to contain Fort Bragg's hitters?

Fort Bragg took their victory against Middletown when the teams last played back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 8-2 score. Do the Timberwolves have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Mustangs turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.