Softball Preview: Hammond Morton Governors vs. Highland Trojans
Hammond Morton is 0-10 against Highland since May of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Monday. The Hammond Morton Governors will look to defend their home field against the Highland Trojans at 4:30 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the pair will really light up the scoreboard.
Last Saturday, Hammond Morton was able to grind out a solid victory over Thornton Fractional South, taking the game 12-7. The win made it back-to-back victories for Hammond Morton.
Julissa Abeyta made a splash no matter where she played. On the mound, she struck out ten batters over seven innings while giving up seven earned runs off 13 hits (and only one walk). Abeyta has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up a single walk in four consecutive pitching appearances. Abeyta was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, Analise Campos was incredible, scoring two runs while going 4-for-4. Juleeana Temores was another key contributor, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, Highland waltzed into their match in their second game on Saturday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They blew past the Pirates 19-1.
Like Hammond Morton, Highland also got a great game from a two-way player: Alyssa Niemann. She struck out six batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits (and not a single walk). Niemann was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-4.
In other batting news, Highland let Jordan Steele and Jazmine DeJesus loose on the outfield. Steele scored two runs while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances, while DeJesus scored three runs while going 3-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Jill Kinley, who scored three runs and stole two bases while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
Hammond Morton pushed their record up to 4-3 with that win, which was their fourth straight at home. Those good results were due in large part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.8 runs per game. As for Highland, their victory bumped their record up to 4-2.
Highland's pitching crew has a tough task ahead of them: Hammond Morton has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 10 hits per game. It's a different story for Highland, though, as they've been averaging 8.8. Given Hammond Morton's sizable advantage in that area, Highland will need to find a way to close that gap.
Hammond Morton might still be hurting after the 11-0 loss they got from Highland when the teams last played back in April of 2023. Thankfully for Hammond Morton, Mia Rivera (who scored three runs and stole a base while going 4-for-4) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
