The Joel Barlow Falcons will head out to challenge the Masuk Panthers at 4:15 p.m. on Monday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Joel Barlow has six straight wins, Masuk has three straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Joel Barlow is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Connecticut's top teams: New Milford, who was ranked 20th at the time (Joel Barlow was ranked eighth). The Falcons walked away with a 6-3 victory over the Green Wave on Friday.
Jimmy Kennedy made a splash no matter where he played. He pitched five innings while giving up just two earned runs off three hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Connor Thomas
| 05/02/25 vs New Milford | 3 |
| 04/30/25 @ Notre Dame Prep | 2 |
| 04/29/25 vs Law | 2 |
| 04/25/25 vs Newtown | 2 |
| 04/28/25 vs Stratford | 1 |
In other batting news, Connor Thomas was excellent, going 3-for-4 with one run and one RBI. Those three hits gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Logan Kady, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one run.
Joel Barlow hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. The team has now struck out at least three batters in four consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Masuk took on Bethel on Friday. The Panthers fell just short of the Wildcats by a score of 5-3.
Masuk saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Steven Curtin, who went 1-for-2 with one double and one RBI.
Joel Barlow's win was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 12-1. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.3 runs on average over those games. As for Masuk, their loss dropped their record down to 7-6.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Monday as neither team is afraid to steal. Joel Barlow has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.7 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Masuk struggles in that department as they've been averaging 2.8 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Joel Barlow beat Masuk 4-0 in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Falcons since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
