Softball Game Preview: Hillcrest Trojans vs. Heritage Patriots

The Hillcrest Trojans will face off against the Heritage Patriots at 3:15 p.m. on Tuesday. Neither Hillcrest nor Heritage posted many runs in their last games, so it might be the pitching crews that decide this one.

Hillcrest blew Canyon Springs out of the water the last time the pair played, but on Thursday Canyon Springs got their revenge. The Trojans fell just short of the Cougars by a score of 3-1. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest defeat the Trojans have suffered since February 26th.

Hillcrest saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Melody Acevedo, who went 2-for-3 with one run and one double. X-Ziary Zambrano also deserves some recognition as she hit her first double of the season.

Meanwhile, Heritage was not able to break out of their rough patch on Monday as the team picked up their fourth straight loss. They came up short against Tahquitz, falling 12-2.

Hillcrest has traveled a rocky road recently, having lost three of their last four matches. That's put a noticeable dent in their 12-10 record this season. That patch can't be blamed on the team's hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.5 runs over those games. As for Heritage, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-14.

Heritage's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Tuesday. Hillcrest has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.7 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Heritage, though, as they've been averaging only 2 strikeouts. Will Hillcrest keep running through batters, or will the Patriots buck the trend?

Everything went Hillcrest's way against Heritage in their previous matchup on April 3rd, as Hillcrest made off with a 14-4 win. Do the Trojans have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Patriots turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.