Coginchaug Regional hasn't had much luck against North Branford recently, but that could start to change on Wednesday. The Blue Devils will square off against the Thunderbirds at 4:00 p.m. Coginchaug Regional is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.4 runs per game this season.
While Coginchaug Regional's victory against Valley Regional wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Blue Devils never let the Warriors get on the board and left with a 1-0 win on Monday. The victory continues a trend for the Blue Devils in their matchups with the Warriors: they've now won eight in a row.
Emily Allen
| 04/28/25 vs Valley Regional | 12 |
| 04/24/25 @ Haddam-Killingworth | 6 |
| 04/23/25 vs Cromwell | 12 |
Not much got past Emily Allen, who gave up just a hit and racked up 12 Ks to keep Valley Regional off the board. Allen has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in three consecutive appearances.
Meanwhile, North Branford strolled into their game on Monday with a perfect record and they left with the same. Everything went their way against Hale Ray as they made off with a 19-0 win. 19 seems to be a good number for the Thunderbirds as the team scooped up a victory with the same number of runs in their previous game.
Lauren Vitarisi made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out eight over five innings pitched. Vitarisi was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. That's the most runs she has posted since back in May of 2024.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Lexi Falcioni, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with three runs, three RBI, and two doubles. That's the most runs she has posted since back in May of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Adriana Hills, who got on base in all five of her plate appearances with four runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
North Branford was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .375. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .375 or higher in three consecutive matches.
North Branford pushed their record up to 9-0 with the win, which was their fifth straight on the road. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.8 runs on average over those games. As for Coginchaug Regional, they now have a winning record of 6-5.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Wednesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Coginchaug Regional has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like North Branford struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.9 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Coginchaug Regional suffered a grim 7-1 defeat to North Branford in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. Can the Blue Devils avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
