The Ayersville Pilots will challenge the Hilltop Cadets at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Ayersville took a loss when they played away from home on Saturday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. Everything went their way against Coldwater as they made off with a 19-2 victory. The high-scoring performance was a welcome turnaround for the Pilots' hitters, who had struggled in the games prior.
Kendra Waldron
| 04/01/25 vs Coldwater | 4 |
| 05/02/24 vs Patrick Henry | 3 |
| 05/06/24 vs Fairview | 2 |
| 04/25/24 @ Hicksville | 2 |
| 04/20/24 @ Bowling Green | 2 |
Kendra Waldron made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out eight batters over five innings while giving up just two earned runs off six hits. Waldron was also stellar in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with one home run, four runs, and two RBI. Those four runs gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Aeriel Brown, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, six RBI, and two runs. Those six RBI gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Miki Shreve, who scored three runs while going 2-for-3.
Ayersville always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .556. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Hilltop put another one in the bag on Tuesday to keep their perfect season alive. They never let North Central get on the board and left with an 11-0 win. The Cadets might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won four games by seven runs or more this season.
Kelsy Connolly was a major factor no matter where she played. She didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out 11 over five innings pitched. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, Libbie Baker was a standout: she went a perfect 1-for-1 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs. That home run was her first of the season. Kenley Routt was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances.
Hilltop's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 5-0. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.3 runs on average over those games. As for Ayersville, their victory (their first of the season) made their record 1-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Ayersville has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Hilltop struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Ayersville was able to grind out a solid win over Hilltop when the teams last played back in May of 2023, winning 6-3. Will the Pilots repeat their success, or do the Cadets have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
