The Bethel Wildcats will challenge the Pomperaug Panthers at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. The last four games Bethel has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.
While Bethel's win against Stratford wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Wildcats had just enough and edged out the Red Devils 2-1. The Wildcats haven't had any issues with the Red Devils recently, as the game was their eighth consecutive victory against them.
Meanwhile, it was close, but on Thursday Pomperaug sidestepped Weston for a 5-3 win. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Panthers.
Brandon Schussler made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He struck out eight batters over six innings while giving up three earned runs off seven hits. Those eight strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
In other pitching news, Franklin Filipone looked comfortable as he pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two hits in six consecutive appearances.
Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Alex Augustine, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one double. Those three hits gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Noah Pane, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base and one RBI.
Bethel's victory was their 13th straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 14-2. The road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.7 runs over those games. As for Pomperaug, their victory bumped their record up to 9-12.
Bethel came out on top in a nail-biter against Pomperaug in their previous meeting back in April of 2023, sneaking past 5-4. Will the Wildcats repeat their success, or do the Panthers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
