Softball Game Preview: Hilltop Cadets vs. Van Buren Black Knights

The Hilltop Cadets will face off against the Van Buren Black Knights at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Hilltop will be looking to extend their current four-game winning streak.

Van Buren's hitters are going to have their work cut out for them on Saturday: Hilltop hadn't allowed a single run the last three times they've hit the field. The Cadets were the clear victors by a 6-0 margin over Antwerp on Friday. The result was nothing new for the Cadets, who have now won 15 matchups by six runs or more so far this season.

Not much got past Giada Rising, who gave up just four hits to keep Antwerp off the board.

At the plate, Hilltop let Kelsy Connolly and Brooklyn Kuszmaul run wild. Connolly went 1-for-4 with one home run and two RBI, while Kuszmaul went 2-for-3 with one home run. That's the most hits Kuszmaul has posted since back in April. The team also got some help courtesy of Sophie Graham, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base and one RBI.

Meanwhile, Van Buren fell victim to Liberty-Benton and their airtight pitching crew on Wednesday. They lost 10-0 to the Eagles. The Black Knights have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Hilltop pushed their record up to 17-3 with the win, which was their third straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.0 runs on average over those games. As for Van Buren, their loss was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 3-1 and their overall record down to 6-6.

Hilltop came up short against Van Buren when the teams last played back in April of 2022, falling 7-3. Can the Cadets avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.