The Kinder Yellowjackets will square off against the Brusly Panthers at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Kinder's pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. They blew past Avoyelles 23-0. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Yellowjackets.
Samantha Hayes was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and not a single walk). That's the fewest hits she has allowed since back in February. She was also big at the plate, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with one stolen base and one RBI.
In other batting news, Kinder got a massive performance out of Abby Fontenot, who went 3-for-4 with seven RBI, three doubles, and two runs. Those three doubles gave Fontenot a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Brianna Fontenot, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with three runs, three RBI, and one triple.
Kinder always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .914. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Brusly's rock-solid pitchers showed up for the team's third consecutive shutout on Thursday. They put the hurt on Plaquemine with a sharp 11-0 victory. The Panthers haven't had any issues with the Green Devils recently, as the game was their seventh consecutive win against them.
Abigail Heidbrink looked comfortable as she kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out six over four innings pitched. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks any time she's pitched this season.
On the hitting side, LillyRose Albarez was excellent, scoring a run while going 2-for-3. Addison Stein was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.
Brusly's victory was their ninth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 18-3. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for Kinder, their victory bumped their record up to 14-2.
Kinder couldn't quite get it done against Brusly when the teams last played back in March of 2023 as they fell 10-6. Can Kinder avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
