Branford is 2-8 against Shelton since May of 2017 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Monday. The Hornets are taking a road trip to square off against the Gaels at 4:15 p.m. Shelton took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Branford, who comes in off a win.
Branford will roll into the matchup after a wild two-game stretch: they didn't score any runs on Tuesday, then bounced right back against Hamden on Thursday. The Hornets put the hurt on the Green Dragons with a sharp 16-2 win. The high-scoring performance was a welcome turnaround for the Hornets' hitters, who had struggled in the games prior.
Shelby Burnham
| 05/01/25 vs Hamden | 12 |
| 04/29/25 @ Lyman Hall | 1 |
| 04/28/25 vs Foran | 4 |
| 04/25/25 @ Hillhouse | 0 |
| 04/23/25 vs Guilford | 2 |
| + 6 more games |
Shelby Burnham made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 12 batters over five innings while giving up just two earned runs off three hits. With that strong performance, she is now averaging an impressive 5.2 strikeouts per game. She was also stellar in the batter's box, firing off two home runs, nine RBI, and three runs while going 3-for-3. Those nine RBI gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, Ellie Brown was incredible, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with two stolen bases and three runs. That's the most stolen bases she has posted since back in April. Isabella Arnold also deserves some recognition as she brought in her first RBI of the season.
Branford kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. They are 4-1 when they post 11 or more hits.
Meanwhile, after soaring to 14 runs the game before, Shelton was a bit more limited in their game on Friday. They fell just short of Hand by a score of 2-1.
Shelton saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Tori Silva, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base.
Branford's victory ended a seven-game drought at home dating back to last season and bumped them up to 4-8. As for Shelton, their loss dropped their record down to 9-3.
Both the two teams just can't seem to miss. Branford has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.7 hits per game. However, it's not like Shelton struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 4.7 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Branford suffered a grim 20-0 defeat to Shelton when the teams last played back in April. Can the Hornets avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
