Western Branch is preparing for their first region matchup of the season on Thursday. They will host the Nansemond River Warriors at 5:45 p.m. Nansemond River took a loss in their last match and will be looking to turn the tables on Western Branch, who comes in off a win.
Western Branch is looking to give their home crowd another W after opening their season at home on Tuesday. They never let Granby get on the board and left with a 9-0 victory. The win continues a trend for the Bruins in their matchups with the Comets: they've now won four in a row.
Western Branch got a great performance from Miles Melescu as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out six over six innings pitched. Furthermore, Melescu didn't allow a single earned run, the first time he has blanked an opponent since back in April of 2024.
On the hitting side, Logan Adams was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-3. That's the most hits he has posted since back in March of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Markel Smith, who scored a run while going 2-for-4.
Western Branch hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now struck out at most four strikeouts in four consecutive contests dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, Nansemond River had to hit the road for their first game and it wasn't the result they were hoping for. They took a 6-1 hit to the loss column at the hands of Great Bridge on Tuesday. The Warriors have struggled against the Wildcats recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive lost meetings.
Ian Wilcox was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he pitched five innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off four hits.
At the plate, Nansemond River saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Jackson Martin, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-3.
Everything went Western Branch's way against Nansemond River in their previous meeting back in May of 2024, as Western Branch made off with a 7-0 victory. Does Western Branch have another victory up their sleeve, or will Nansemond River turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
