Grassfield has gone 9-1 against Western Branch recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Thursday. The Grizzlies will be playing at home against the Bruins at 5:45 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Western Branch will take on a team with plenty of momentum: Grassfield extended their winning streak to ten on Tuesday. The Grizzlies never let King's Fork get on the board and left with an 11-0 victory. 11 seems to be a good number for the Grizzlies as the team scooped up a win with the same number of runs in their previous game.
Chase Hartford made a big impact 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 seven over four innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two hits in six consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two RBI and one double.
Addi Casassa
| 04/29/25 @ King's Fork | 2 |
| 04/24/25 @ Nansemond River | 1 |
| 04/22/25 vs Indian River | 1 |
| 04/21/25 vs Smithfield | 1 |
| 04/03/25 @ Indian River | 1 |
In other batting news, Haley Trumbo and Addi Casassa did most of the damage at the plate: Trumbo went 1-for-2 with one stolen base, one run, and one double, while Casassa went 1-for-2 with two runs and two RBI. Those two runs gave Casassa a new career-high. Mackenzie German was another key player, going 1-for-2 with two runs.
Grassfield always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .567. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as King's Fork only posted an OBP of .067.
Meanwhile, Western Branch won against Manor on Monday with 19 runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Tuesday. The Bruins didn't even let Indian River on the board, marking the Bruins' second-straight 19-0 shutout. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Bruins.
Like Grassfield, Western Branch also got a great game from a two-way player: Anna Kerns. She kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out six over five innings pitched. Kerns was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in four of her five plate appearances with two runs and two RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Marissa Bernheimer, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with one home run, five runs, and five RBI. She also hit a triple, marking her first of the season. Another player making a difference was Maddie Lemasters, who went 2-for-3 with four runs and two doubles.
Grassfield pushed their record up to 11-1 with the victory, which was their 13th straight on the road dating back to last season. As for Western Branch, their win bumped their record up to 10-2.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Thursday. Grassfield hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.8 home runs per game. However, it's not like Western Branch struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 1.2 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Grassfield skirted past Western Branch 2-0 in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Do the Grizzlies have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Bruins turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
