Softball Game Preview: Hopkinton Hillers vs. Westwood Wolverines

The Hopkinton Hillers are taking a road trip to take on the Westwood Wolverines at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Westwood will be up against a hot Hopkinton squad: the team just extended their winning streak to six. Everything went the Hillers' way against Ashland on Monday as they made off with a 12-2 victory.

Meanwhile, Westwood hadn't done well against Dedham recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Monday. The Wolverines were the clear victors by a 9-1 margin over the Marauders. The win was familiar territory for the Wolverines, who have now won three games in a row.

Bridget Mulkeen made a splash while hitting and pitching. She didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out 14 over seven innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts any time she's pitched this season. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with one triple, two RBI, and one double.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Mia Poles, who went 1-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base. Eve Clinton was another key player, going 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.

Hopkinton's victory was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 13-3. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for Westwood, their record now sits at 9-3.

Hopkinton took their victory against Westwood in their previous matchup back in April by a conclusive 11-1 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Hillers since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.