The Brownsburg Bulldogs will take on the Hamilton Southeastern Royals at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Brownsburg 3.9, Hamilton Southeastern 2.2) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Brownsburg is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Indiana's top teams: Plainfield, who was ranked third at the time (Brownsburg was ranked 21st). The Bulldogs fell just short of the Quakers by a score of 4-3 on Thursday. The Bulldogs' defeat signaled the end of their four-game winning streak.
Avery Toole spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned (and one unearned) runs on six hits and racked up eight Ks.
At the plate, Brownsburg saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Tatum Hunt, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI. Another was Izzy Neal, who went 2-for-4 with one stolen base and one run.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Hamilton Southeastern, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Tuesday. They skirted past Lapel 3-2.
Carly McCall made a splash no matter where she played. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits over 4.2 innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up a single earned run in three consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one run and one double. Those two hits gave her a new career-high.
Hamilton Southeastern is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 12-6 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.9 runs on average over those games. As for Brownsburg, their loss dropped their record down to 12-7.
Brownsburg's speedy runners might be the difference in Friday's contest. The Bulldogs have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.1 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Hamilton Southeastern, though, as they've been averaging only 1.1 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Brownsburg continue to outrun the ball?
Brownsburg took their victory against Hamilton Southeastern when the teams last played back in May of 2024 by a conclusive 11-1 score. Will the Bulldogs repeat their success, or do the Royals have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
