The Stafford Bulldogs will face off against the Ellington Knights at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Stafford had to skate by with only a one-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the eight-run drubbing they dealt Norwich RVT on Friday. The Bulldogs were the clear victors by a 9-1 margin over the Warriors.
Stephen Tantillo spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered a run (which was unearned) on four hits and racked up seven Ks.
On the hitting side, Brenton Stevens was a standout: he got on base in all three of his plate appearances with two runs and two RBI. Those RBI were his first of the season. Tyler Murray was another key player, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
Meanwhile, Ellington never let their opponents score on Thursday. They blew past East Windsor 11-0. The Knights haven't had any issues with the Panthers recently, as the game was their ninth consecutive win against them.
Jaxson Dumond looked comfortable as he tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits.
At the plate, Chase Thomas was excellent, going 2-for-4 with three RBI, one stolen base, and one run. The team also got some help courtesy of Landon Shirshac, who went 1-for-2 with two stolen bases and two runs.
The victory got Stafford back to even at 3-3. As for Ellington, their win bumped their record up to 6-3.
Everything went Stafford's way against Ellington in their previous meeting back in May of 2024, as Stafford made off with a 10-0 victory. Will the Bulldogs repeat their success, or do the Knights have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
