The Bradford Railroaders will venture away from home to square off against the New Bremen Cardinals at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Bradford's favor is that they have posted at least ten runs in their last four matches.
Bradford's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. They put the hurt on National Trail with a sharp 13-0 win. The Railroaders haven't had any issues with the Blazers recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive victory against them.
Vivian Harlemen was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out eight over five innings pitched. That hit marked the first that she allowed this season. She was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in both of her plate appearances.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Chloe Hocker, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI. That triple was her first of the season. Another player making a difference was Lexi Clark, who scored three runs while going 2-for-3.
Bradford hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as National Trail struck out eight times.
Meanwhile, New Bremen suffered their closest defeat since April 29, 2024 on Thursday. They fell just short of St. Henry by a score of 16-14. The loss put an end to the Cardinals' undefeated start to the season.
Olivia Thornton made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and got on base in four of her five plate appearances with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Thornton is also crushing it when it comes to stolen bases: she's snagged at least one every time she's taken the field this season. Adri Heitkamp was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-4.
Having lost for the first time this season, New Bremen fell to 2-1. As for Bradford, the win got them back to even at 4-4.
New Bremen's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Bradford has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 10.5 hits per game. It's a different story for New Bremen, though, as they've been averaging 10 hits. Given Bradford's sizable advantage in that area, the Cardinals will need to find a way to close that gap.
Bradford might still be hurting after the 11-0 loss they got from New Bremen when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Can the Railroaders avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
