The New Bremen Cardinals will face off against the Bradford Railroaders at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
New Bremen is headed into the game having just suffered their closest loss since April 29, 2024 on Thursday. They fell just short of St. Henry by a score of 16-14. The loss put an end to the Cardinals' undefeated start to the season.
Olivia Thornton
| 04/10/25 @ St. Henry | 1 |
| 04/01/25 @ Waynesfield-Goshen | 2 |
| 03/29/25 @ Mississinawa Valley | 3 |
Olivia Thornton made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and got on base in four of her five plate appearances with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Thornton is also crushing it when it comes to stolen bases: she's snagged at least one every time she's taken the field this season. Adri Heitkamp was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, Bradford had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 7.5 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Tuesday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand the Blazers a 13-0 shutout. The matchup marked the Railroaders' most dominant victory of the season so far.
Vivian Harlemen made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit while striking out eight over five innings pitched. That hit was her first of the season. She was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in both of her plate appearances.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Chloe Hocker, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI. That triple marked the first that she hit this season. Another player making a difference was Lexi Clark, who scored three runs while going 2-for-3.
Bradford kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They are 2-1 when they post 11 or more hits.
Having lost for the first time this season, New Bremen fell to 2-1. As for Bradford, the win got them back to even at 4-4.
Friday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. New Bremen has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .448. However, it's not like Bradford struggles in that department as they've averaged .491. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went New Bremen's way against Bradford when the teams last played back in April of 2024, as New Bremen made off with an 11-0 victory. Will the Cardinals repeat their success, or do the Railroaders have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
