North Branford is 10-0 against Old Lyme since April of 2015, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. The North Branford Thunderbirds will head out on the road to challenge the Old Lyme Wildcats at 4:00 p.m. North Branford is looking to tack on another W to their 15-game streak on the road dating back to last season.
North Branford's hitters will try to repeat the strong performance they gave on Wednesday, when they got past Haddam-Killingworth's usually-dominant pitching crew. Everything went North Branford's way against Haddam-Killingworth as North Branford made off with an 11-1 win. Considering North Branford has won five games by more than nine runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Kiley Mullins spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on two hits and racked up 11 Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts every time she's pitched this season.
At the plate, Natalia Lucibello was incredible, going 4-for-5 with a home run, three runs, and three RBI. Another player making a difference was Lexi Falcioni, who scored three runs while getting on base in all five of her plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Old Lyme has not done well against Cromwell recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. Old Lyme blew past Cromwell 14-1. The high-scoring effort was just what Old Lyme needed considering they were shutout in their previous contest.
Emma Bayor made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 12 batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit (and only one walk). Bayor was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
In other batting news, Old Lyme got a massive performance out of Grace Phaneuf, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 3-for-3. Ava Roth was another key contributor, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-4.
North Branford's record now sits at 7-0. As for Old Lyme, their record now sits at 4-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. North Branford has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 10.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Old Lyme struggles in that department as they've been averaging 11. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
North Branford came out on top in a nail-biter against Old Lyme in their previous matchup back in May of 2023, sneaking past 2-1. Will North Branford repeat their success, or does Old Lyme have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
