The Brookfield Bobcats will square off against the Stratford Red Devils at 4:15 p.m. on Friday. Brookfield is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.6 runs per game this season.
Brookfield is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Connecticut's top teams: Joel Barlow, who was ranked fifth at the time (Brookfield was ranked third). The Bobcats blew past the Falcons 11-1 on Wednesday. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last five times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
PJ Colla made a big impact no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run over five innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with two RBI and one run.
Garrett McGovern
| 04/23/25 vs Joel Barlow | 5 |
| 04/11/25 @ Shepaug Valley | 4 |
| 05/18/24 vs Weston | 2 |
| 05/16/24 vs Notre Dame Prep | 2 |
| 04/22/24 vs Bunnell | 2 |
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Garrett McGovern, who went 1-for-2 with five RBI, one run, and one double. Those five RBI gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Matt McDowell, who went 1-for-2 with three runs and one RBI.
Brookfield was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .474. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Stratford lost a heartbreaker to Masuk when they met back in April of 2023, and they left with a heavy heart again on Wednesday. The Red Devils fell just short of the Panthers by a score of 1-0. The Red Devils haven't had much luck with the Panthers recently, as the team has come up short the last five times they've met.
Brookfield pushed their record up to 6-1 with the win, which was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.9 runs on average over those games. As for Stratford, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-4-1.
Brookfield was able to grind out a solid win over Stratford in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, winning 9-6. Do the Bobcats have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Red Devils turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
