Brooklyn is 2-8 against Independence since March of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Monday. The Hurricanes will take on the Blue Devils at 4:30 p.m. The match will give Brooklyn their first taste of in-conference action this season.
Brooklyn is headed into Monday's contest looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their fourth straight game dating back to last season on Friday. They fell 8-3 to Garrett Morgan.
Brooklyn saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Gio Garst, who went 1-for-3 with one triple. Justin Lewis was another, scoring two runs while getting on base in two of his three plate appearances.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Independence). Their pitchers stepped up to hand Bard Early College a 21-0 shutout on Friday. With that victory, the Blue Devils brought their scoring average up to 8.4 runs per game.
Anderson Jolliffe and Angelo Rodriguez made a splash no matter where they played. Throwing, Jolliffe pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Rodriguez tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. At bat, Jolliffe scored two runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances, while Rodriguez got on base in two of his four plate appearances with four RBI and one run. Those four RBI gave Rodriguez a new career-high.
In other batting news, Sam Crooks was a standout: he got on base in all three of his plate appearances with one home run, three runs, and three RBI. That home run was his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Vinny Carriero, who scored three runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3.
Independence always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .829. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
The win made it two in a row for Independence and bumps their season record up to 2-3. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 16.0 runs over those games. As for Brooklyn, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-3.
Brooklyn suffered a grim 11-1 defeat to Independence in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Can the Hurricanes avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
