The Bridgeport Bulldogs will head out to take on the Bellaire Big Reds at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Bridgeport is coming into the game hot, having won their last eight games.
On Wednesday, Bridgeport made easy work of Beallsville and carried off an 8-1 victory. Considering the Bulldogs have won five contests by more than six runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Meanwhile, Bellaire came into Wednesday's matchup having lost four straight, but that streak is now in the rearview. They put the hurt on Beaver Local with a sharp 10-1 win on Wednesday. Considering the Big Reds' hitters had been struggling lately, the high-scoring outing was a much-needed turnaround.
Luke Heatherington made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out seven batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits (and not a single walk). He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in four consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with three runs and one stolen base. He has become a key player for Bellaire: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 2-12 otherwise.
In other batting news, Brae Schmidli was incredible, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, four RBI, and two runs. Those two stolen bases gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Riley Zonker, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI, one stolen base, and one double.
Bridgeport's victory was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 9-3. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.8 runs on average over those games. As for Bellaire, their record is now 6-12.
Bridgeport was able to grind out a solid victory over Bellaire when the teams last played on Thursday, winning 3-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Bulldogs since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
