The New Albany Bulldogs will head out to challenge the Charlestown Pirates at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. New Albany's pitching crew has only allowed 3.6 runs per game this season, so Charlestown's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
On Friday, New Albany came up short against Jasper and fell 4-1. The defeat continues a trend for the Bulldogs in their meetings with the Wildcats: they've now lost three in a row.
Jaylen Wells-Henderson
| 04/18/25 @ Jasper | 2 |
| 04/16/25 vs Floyd Central | 1 |
| 04/11/25 vs Warsaw | 2 |
| 03/31/25 vs Castle | 2 |
Jaylen Wells-Henderson was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he struck out six batters over six innings while giving up four earned runs off five hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances.
At the plate, New Albany saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Tyler McMillen, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base and one run.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Charlestown). They blew past New Washington 25-10 on Friday. The win continues a trend for the Pirates in their matchups with the Mustangs: they've now won nine in a row.
Dylan French was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing 1.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. French was also big at the plate, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one run, one double, and one RBI. Those two hits gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, Charlestown got a massive performance out of Kaleb Bohannon, who got on base in five of his six plate appearances with four runs, four RBI, and one triple. Those four RBI gave Bohannon a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Calum Stowe, who got on base in five of his six plate appearances with three runs, four RBI, and one stolen base.
Charlestown always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .667. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Charlestown's record now sits at 8-1. As for New Albany, their loss dropped their record down to 4-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. New Albany has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Charlestown struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
New Albany skirted past Charlestown 1-0 in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. 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.
