The Bunnell Bulldogs will square off against the Brookfield Bobcats at 4:15 p.m. on Monday.
Bunnell fell victim to Pomperaug and their airtight pitching crew on Friday. They came up short against the Panthers, falling 8-0. The loss continues a trend for the Bulldogs in their meetings with the Panthers: they've now lost four in a row.
Meanwhile, Brookfield had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8.5 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Friday. Everything went their way against the Red Devils as they made off with a 13-1 victory. The Bobcats might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five games by seven runs or more this season.
Matt McDowell made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out eight batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits (and only one walk). He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Matt Ackerly was incredible, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in April of 2024. PJ Colla was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two doubles, two RBI, and one run.
Brookfield always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .586. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their OBP total in three consecutive contests.
Brookfield's win was their tenth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 8-1. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.3 runs on average over those games. As for Bunnell, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-3.
Bunnell came up short against Brookfield in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, falling 5-1. Will the Bulldogs have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
