Softball Recap: Hesperia Comes Up Short

Hesperia had lost 13 straight on the road dating back to last season, but on Tuesday they dropped their record down to 1-14 to make it 14. They lost 17-3 to the Lakeview Wildcats. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Wildcats this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 16-0 on Tuesday.

As for Lakeview, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 7-16. Their hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.

For Lakeview's part, Baylor Syrjala was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run over five innings pitched. The dominant performance also gave Syrjala a new career-high in strikeouts (five). She was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with six RBI, two stolen bases, and two runs. She has been hot recently, having posted two or more stolen bases the last four times she's played.

In other batting news, Kaileigh Ripley was a standout: she got on base in three of her four plate appearances with one home run, three runs, and one stolen base. Those three runs gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Katelyn Buchner, who went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI.

Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Hesperia will square off against Mason County Eastern at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. As for Lakeview, they will take on Central Montcalm at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday.