The Brattleboro Bears will head out to face off against the Otter Valley Otters at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Brattleboro's pitching crew has only allowed 3.5 runs per game this season, so Otter Valley's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Brattleboro is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Vermont's top teams: Mount Anthony, who was ranked sixth at the time (Brattleboro was ranked tenth). The Bears fell just short of the Patriots by a score of 3-2 on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, after only one run in their last match, Otter Valley made sure to put some runs up on the board against Green Mountain on Thursday. The Otters blew past the Chieftains 11-1. Considering the Otters' hitters had been struggling lately, the high-scoring outing was a much-needed turnaround.
Jackson Howe was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out six batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with three runs and one double. Otter Valley is undefeated when Howe posts two or more runs, but 2-3 otherwise.
In other batting news, Nolan Quenneville and Wyatt Cone did most of the damage at the plate: Quenneville went 3-for-4 with two runs, one double, and one RBI, while Cone went 2-for-3 with three RBI, one run, and one double. Jonny Johnson also deserves some recognition as he scored his first run of the season.
Otter Valley kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They are a perfect 3-0 when they post 11 or more hits.
Brattleboro's defeat dropped their record down to 4-4. As for Otter Valley, with the victory, they broke their three-game losing streak and moved their record to 5-3.
Brattleboro skirted past Otter Valley 3-2 in their previous matchup back in May of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Bears since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
