The Darien Blue Wave will face off against the Norwich Free Academy Wildcats on Wednesday. The last four games Darien has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.
Darien is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Connecticut's top teams: St. Joseph, who was ranked eighth at the time (Darien was ranked 20th). The Blue Wave fell just short of the Cadets by a score of 2-1 on Thursday.
Vivian Knott spent all 13.2 innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and one unearned) run on six hits and racked up 23 Ks. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 13 consecutive appearances.
Meanwhile, Norwich Free Academy had already proven themselves in the regular season and they didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They never let Wilton get on the board and left with a 13-0 win on Monday. Considering the Wildcats have won 14 games by more than five runs this season, Monday's blowout was nothing new.
Dakota Bourdon made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit over five innings pitched. Bourdon was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with three RBI and two runs. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in April.
In other batting news, Brooke Stringer was a standout: she went 2-for-3 with one home run and three RBI. Another player making a difference was Olivia Bourdon, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs and two RBI.
Norwich Free Academy was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .429. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .382 or higher in three consecutive matches.
Darien's defeat ended a four-game streak of away wins and brought them to 17-5. As for Norwich Free Academy, their victory bumped their record up to 18-5.
Wednesday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Darien has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .490. However, it's not like Norwich Free Academy struggles in that department as they've averaged .436. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Darien came up short against Norwich Free Academy when the teams last played back in April of 2017, falling 6-2. Can the Blue Wave avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
