The Maiden Blue Devils will venture away from home to face off against the Bandys Trojans at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Maiden has three straight victories, Bandys has six straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Maiden made up a huge gap compared to their last game against Foard, but they still couldn't quite topple them. Everything went Maiden's way against Foard on Thursday as Maiden made off with an 18-9 win. The Blue Devils' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Brycen James
| 03/13/25 @ Foard | 3 |
| 03/07/25 vs West Lincoln | 2 |
| 03/06/25 vs Hickory | 2 |
| 03/04/25 vs East Burke | 1 |
| 02/25/25 @ Hibriten | 1 |
Brycen James made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out six over 4.1 innings pitched. Furthermore, he didn't allow a single earned run, the first time he has blanked an opponent since back in February of 2024. He was also big at the plate, scoring three runs while going 1-for-6. He is becoming a predictor of Maiden's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 2-1 (and 2-3 when he doesn't).
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Ethan Whittaker, who scored a run while going 3-for-6. That's the most hits he has posted since back in March of 2024. Zane Williams was another key player, getting on base in five of his seven plate appearances.
Maiden kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 15 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Foard only managed eight hits.
Bandys had taken Lincolnton down for three straight games at home, but that winning streak came to an end on Tuesday. Bandys fell just short of Lincolnton by a score of 7-6.
Cody Serventi made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 1-for-3 with one home run and three RBI.
The victory got Maiden back to even at 4-4. As for Bandys, their loss dropped their record down to 0-5.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Maiden has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Bandys struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.2 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Maiden couldn't quite get it done against Bandys when the teams last played back in May of 2024 as they fell 4-0. Can Maiden avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
