The South Brunswick Cougars will face off against the North Brunswick Scorpions at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. South Brunswick's pitching crew has only allowed 1.1 runs per game this season, so North Brunswick's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
While South Brunswick's win against Topsail wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Cougars' pitcher stepped up to hand the Pirates a 2-0 shutout on Tuesday. The victory continues a trend for the Cougars in their matchups with the Pirates: they've now won six in a row.
Kina Davis made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 17 over seven 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. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with one RBI. That's the most hits she has posted since back in May of 2024.
Davis wasn't the only one making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Savana Burgess, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for North Brunswick, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Thursday. They walked away with a 9-6 win over West Brunswick on Tuesday.
The team relied heavily on Adrianna Gomez, who went 3-for-5 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. That home run marked the first that she launched this season. Another player making a difference was Emilee Camacho, who scored two runs while going 3-for-4.
North Brunswick kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. They are a perfect 5-0 when they post 11 or more hits.
South Brunswick pushed their record up to 13-2 with the victory, which was their fourth straight on the road. The road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.5 runs over those games. As for North Brunswick, they are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four games. That's provided a nice bump to their 10-6 record this season.
North Brunswick's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Thursday. South Brunswick has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 13.2 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for North Brunswick, though, as they've been averaging only 2.4 strikeouts. Will South Brunswick keep running through batters, or will the Scorpions buck the trend?
South Brunswick took their victory against North Brunswick when the teams last played back in March by a conclusive 18-3 score. Will the Cougars repeat their success, or do the Scorpions have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
