The Norwell Knights will face off against the Bellmont Braves at 1:00 p.m. on Monday. Norwell will be strutting in after a victory while Bellmont will be coming in after a defeat.
Norwell can't be too worried about heading out to take on Bellmont: they just beat Woodlan at home, who had been dominant on their own field up to that point. The Knights won by a run and slipped past the Warriors 8-7. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Knights.
Kara Brown spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and six unearned) runs on nine hits.
At the plate, Mia Kurtz was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs, one triple, and one RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Lillie Felton, who went 1-for-4 with one home run and three RBI.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact: Norwell kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They are 12-2 when they post 11 or more hits.
Meanwhile, Bellmont unfortunately witnessed the end of their five-game winning streak on Friday. They fell 6-3 to Homestead.
Bella Ashley was huge no matter where she played even without the win. She looked comfortable on the mound, tossing six innings while giving up just two earned (and four unearned) runs off four hits. She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than two walks in eight consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one stolen base and one RBI.
In other batting news, Finnley Godsey and Emily Bleke did some serious damage despite the final result: Godsey went 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI, while Bleke went 3-for-4 with one run and one double. Bleke is on a roll when it comes to hits, as she's now got three or more in each of the last four games she's played.
Bellmont's loss dropped their record down to 10-10. As for Norwell, their win bumped their record up to 16-8.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Monday. Norwell hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.8 home runs per game. However, it's not like Bellmont struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.7 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Norwell took their victory against Bellmont in their previous meeting back in April by a conclusive 12-4 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Knights since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
