Softball Preview: Hillsboro Hiltoppers vs. Pana Panthers
Hillsboro and Pana are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2016, but likely not for long. The Hillsboro Hiltoppers will head out on the road to face off against the Pana Panthers at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Hillsboro took a loss when they played away from home on Wednesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Monday. Everything went their way against Vandalia as Hillsboro made off with a 10-2 win.
Aubrey Evans was incredible, going 2-for-3 with two runs, a triple, and a stolen base. Briley Kirby was another key contributor, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, Pana has not done well against Southwestern recently (they were 0-7 in their previous seven matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. Pana came out on top against Southwestern by a score of 10-7.
Joey Laker was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, tossing seven innings while giving up four earned (and three unearned) runs off eight hits. Laker was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with four RBI, two runs, and a stolen base.
In other batting news, Shelby Ashcraft and Kennedy Bowker did most of the damage at the plate: Ashcraft scored two runs while going 2-for-2, while Bowker scored three runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4. Another player making a difference was Izzy Reed, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
Hillsboro now has a winning record of 11-10. As for Pana, they are on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last ten contests, which provided a nice bump to their 17-7 record this season.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Hillsboro has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.1 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Pana struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Hillsboro might still be hurting after the 11-1 defeat they got from Pana in their previous matchup back in March. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Ashcraft, who didn't allow a single earned run over 5.1 innings pitched. Now that Hillsboro knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
