Softball Game Preview: Oak Hills Highlanders vs. Highlands Bluebirds

The Oak Hills Highlanders will square off against the Highlands Bluebirds at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday.

Oak Hills is headed into Saturday's match looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their fifth straight game dating back to last season on Tuesday. They were a single run away from ending the streak, but they lost a 4-3 heartbreaker at the hands of St. Ursula Academy.

Meanwhile, Highlands came tearing into Friday's game with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 5.3 runs), and they left with even more momentum. Their pitcher stepped up to hand the Pioneers a 5-0 shutout.

Kaitlyn Dixon made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out seven over seven innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in seven consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one home run and three RBI. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in April of 2024.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Payton Brown, who scored a run while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Layla Zepf, who scored two runs while going 2-for-4.

Highlands' win bumped their record up to 6-2-1. As for Oak Hills, their loss dropped their record down to 0-2.