vs
| 05/02/25 - Away | 4-0 W |
| 05/01/24 - Home | 14-0 W |
| 04/17/24 - Away | 11-1 W |
| 05/25/23 - Neutral | 10-3 W |
| 05/03/23 - Home | 7-6 W |
| + 5 more games |
North Branford has gone 8-2 against Haddam-Killingworth recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Thunderbirds will welcome the Cougars at 6:00 p.m. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (North Branford 1.7, Haddam-Killingworth 2) so any runs scored will be well earned.
North Branford is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Connecticut's top teams: Norwich Free Academy, who was ranked second at the time (North Branford was ranked eighth). The Thunderbirds came out on top in a nail-biter against the Wildcats on Thursday, sneaking past 5-3. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Thunderbirds have posted since April 22, 2024.
Meanwhile, Haddam-Killingworth waltzed into their contest on Wednesday with five straight wins... but they left with six. They were the clear victors by a 12-1 margin over the Vikings. Considering the Cougars have won nine matches by more than seven runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Emma Giaccone was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 12 batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned run off six hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in nine consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with three RBI and one stolen base. Those three hits gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, Olivia LaTorre was a standout: she got on base in all four of her plate appearances with two runs, one triple, and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Claire Eighmy, who went 2-for-4 with three RBI and one run.
Haddam-Killingworth was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .414. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .350 or higher in four consecutive games.
Haddam-Killingworth's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 12-2. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.5 runs on average over those games. As for North Branford, their win bumped their record up to 15-1.
North Branford beat Haddam-Killingworth 4-0 when the teams last played two weeks ago. Do the Thunderbirds have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Cougars turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
