The Braham Bombers will head out to take on the Hinckley-Finlayson Jaguars at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday. Braham's pitching crew has only allowed 2.3 runs per game this season, so Hinckley-Finlayson's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Braham blew Rush City out of the water the last time the pair played, but on Tuesday Rush City got their revenge. The Bombers fell just short of the Tigers by a score of 2-0. The Bombers' loss signaled the end of their seven-game winning streak.
Meanwhile, Hinckley-Finlayson never let their opponents score on Tuesday. Everything went their way against Crosby-Ironton as they made off with a 19-0 win. The result was nothing new for the Jaguars, who have now won five matchups by six runs or more so far this season.
Aris Richey made a big impact no matter where she played. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit over four innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with one double.
In other batting news, Annie Alleman and Autumn Painovich did most of the damage at the plate: Alleman got on base in all five of her plate appearances with three runs, two RBI, and one double, while Painovich went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, three runs, and three RBI. Those three RBI gave Painovich a new career-high. Lainey Johnson was another key player, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI.
Hinckley-Finlayson was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .500. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .310 or higher in five consecutive games.
Braham's defeat was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 8-1 and their overall record down to 10-2. As for Hinckley-Finlayson, their victory ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 6-8.
Everything went Braham's way against Hinckley-Finlayson in their previous matchup back in April, as Braham made off with a 9-0 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Bombers since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
