Their division title hopes are long gone, but there’s still plenty to play for as Brighton travels to Howell for a KLAA West Division baseball clash today.
For the Bulldogs, it’s a chance to rebound after a 12-2 loss to Howell at Carrow Field on Monday, a game which saw the Highlanders put things out of reach with six runs in the seventh.
“It’s a new day. a ne2 stadium.” Howell coach ∆ason Ladd said. “Any time you play a school from Livingston County, it’s going to be a battle. it’s never going to be a freebie. Even (Monday), even though the score was 12-2. it wasn’t really 12-2. It was a lot closer than the score looked.”
Today’s game will be broadcast on The Livingston Post starting at around 4:20 p.m. Click here for the link.
Howell (16-9 overall) is in third place in thr KLAA West, its 6-5 mark a game better than Brighton in the division. The Bulldogs (17-8) have sputtered as the season heads into the home stretch, splitting their last six games as their offense has cooled. Th HIghlandes have won five of their last seven.
“We’re happy with where our offense is,” Ladd said. “We’re trying to get better every day. We work on our approach on a daily basis. Some guys are hot and w9me guy h9t the next game. You don’t know who it’s going to be.”
Both teams have multiple players who can get on base with or without high batting averages. Howell’s on-base percentage is .453 while Brighton sits at .430.
One clear advantage is stolen bases, where Howell holds a 73-40 advantage, while Brighton has a 69-47 edge in extra-base hits, including a 14-3 advantage in homers.
But all that will be moot when the first pitch is thrown this afternoon.
“We’ve finally gotten some nice weather,” Ladd said. “We’re looking for some consistent weather here now.”
That and consistent play in the final month of the season.
Today’s game might not be the last meeting between the teams this season. If Brighton wins its pre-district game with South Lyon East on May 30, the Bulldogs and Highlanders would meet in district semifinal at Brighton on June 3.
