The Bradford Railroaders will take on the Botkins Trojans at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Bradford hasn't scored more than two runs for five games straight, a trend the team is eager to reverse.
Bradford was handed a 13-run defeat in their previous outing, but that didn't affect their clutch gene on Thursday. They won by a run and slipped past Twin Valley South 2-1. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Railroaders have posted since April 25, 2024.
Brock Schurnpal spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on one hit. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Bradford's victory was truly a team effort as three different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Colton Gambill, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base, one run, and one double. Rallie Wirrig also deserves some recognition as he brought in his first RBI of the season.
Meanwhile, Botkins suffered their closest loss since April 19, 2024 on Thursday. They fell just short of Jackson Center by a score of 6-4.
Will Monnin made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one double. Elijah Schuller was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI.
Bradford's first win this season bumped their record up to 1-14. As for Botkins, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-9.
Bradford came out on top in a nail-biter against Botkins when the teams last played back in April of 2024, sneaking past 4-2. Do the Railroaders have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Trojans turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
