The Branford Buccaneers will challenge the Fort White Indians at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Branford 3.4, Fort White 1.8) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Branford is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They never let Union County get on the board and left with a 6-0 victory. Considering the Buccaneers have won 11 games by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Laila Arnold
| 04/29/25 vs Union County | 2 |
| 04/22/25 vs Bell | 1 |
| 04/08/25 vs Columbia | 1 |
| 04/04/25 vs Williston | 1 |
The result came thanks to Laila Arnold's shutout, as she gave up just four hits and racked up ten Ks. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Cloey Criggall was excellent, going 2-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one double. The team also got some help courtesy of Morgan Brennan, who went 2-for-4 with one double and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Fort White came tearing into Tuesday's contest with five straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 3.6 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They blew past the Bulldogs 9-0.
Not much got past Kadence Compton, who gave up just a hit and racked up ten Ks to keep Bell off the board.
On the hitting side, Graceanne Durrance was a standout: she went 3-for-5 with one triple, one run, and one RBI. That's the most hits she has posted since back in February. Another player making a difference was Hannah LeBleu, who went 2-for-4 with one triple, one stolen base, and one run.
Fort White kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Bell only managed one hit.
Branford is on a roll lately: they've won 15 of their last 18 matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 18-6 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.0 runs on average over those games. As for Fort White, their record now sits at 17-5.
Branford beat Fort White 8-4 when the teams last played back in March. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Buccaneers since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
