The Williston Red Devils will head out on the road to face off against the Branford Buccaneers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Williston is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.9 runs per game this season.
Williston lost 8-1 to Crystal River on Thursday. The Red Devils have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Williston saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Baylee Cribbs, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, Branford got themselves on the board against Lafayette on Tuesday, but Lafayette never followed suit. They were the clear victors by a 12-0 margin over the Hornets. Considering the Buccaneers have won nine matchups by more than nine runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Not much got past Laila Arnold, who gave up just six hits and racked up six Ks to keep Lafayette off the board. Arnold has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Jesse Frierson was incredible, scoring four runs and stealing three bases while going 4-for-4. Those four runs gave her a new career-high. Victoria Swain was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs.
Branford lost a few balls and finished the game with three home runs. That's the most home runs they've managed all season.
Branford is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight games. That's provided a nice bump to their 15-5 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.5 runs over those games. As for Williston, their defeat dropped their record down to 10-7.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Williston has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Branford struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 6.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Williston came up short against Branford when the teams last played back in March, falling 8-4. Can the Red Devils avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
