Softball Game Preview: Hillcrest Patriots vs. Tuscaloosa County Wildcats

For the second straight game, Hillcrest will face off against Tuscaloosa County. The Patriots will be playing at home against the Wildcats at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday.

Hillcrest fell victim to Tuscaloosa County and their airtight pitching crew on Tuesday. They lost 9-0 to the Wildcats. The shutout was out of character for the Patriots seeing as the last time the team failed to score was back in February.

For Tuscaloosa County's part, not much got past Karlie Beth Beasley, who gave up just three hits and racked up 14 Ks to keep Hillcrest off the board. Beasley has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 13 consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Holly Beth Brooks, who went 2-for-4 with one home run, five RBI, and one double. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in March. The team also got some help courtesy of Kensley Spann, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one RBI.

Tuscaloosa County always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .528. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Hillcrest only posted an OBP of .185.

Hillcrest dropped their record down to 12-15-1 with the defeat, which was their sixth straight on the road. As for Tuscaloosa County, their victory bumped their record up to 26-8.