Softball Game Preview: R-S Central Hilltoppers vs. East Burke Cavaliers

The R-S Central Hilltoppers will square off against the East Burke Cavaliers at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday. R-S Central is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.6 runs per game this season.

East Burke will be up against a hot R-S Central team: the squad just extended their winning streak to three. The Hilltoppers blew past Hendersonville 11-2 on Tuesday. The result was nothing new for the Hilltoppers, who have now won seven matchups by six runs or more so far this season.

Maeli Crain made a splash no matter where she played. She pitched seven innings while giving up just one earned run off six hits. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up a single walk in three consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 2-for-4.

Lillie Beheler

Stolen Base (Career)

04/08/25 vs Hendersonville	3
02/24/25 vs Freedom	2
04/16/24 vs Patton	2
04/12/24 vs Polk County	2
03/29/24 vs McDowell	2

In other batting news, Lillie Beheler was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing three bases while going 3-for-4. Those three stolen bases gave her a new career-high. Layna Jeffords was another key player, scoring a run while going 2-for-4.

R-S Central kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in four consecutive games.

Meanwhile, East Burke didn't have quite enough to beat Lincolnton on Tuesday and fell 10-9. The Cavaliers have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Amanda McLean and Alyssa Shoemaker did some serious damage despite the final result: McLean scored two runs while going 3-for-3, while Shoemaker scored two runs while going 3-for-4. The team also got some help courtesy of Kyndal Morrison, who scored a run and stole a base while going 3-for-5.

East Burke's defeat dropped their record down to 4-12. As for R-S Central, their win bumped their record up to 10-3.

R-S Central beat East Burke 4-0 when the teams last played back in April of 2017. Will the Hilltoppers repeat their success, or do the Cavaliers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.