Softball Game Preview: Urbana Hillclimbers vs. Indian Lake Lakers

Urbana hasn't had much luck against Indian Lake recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Hillclimbers will venture away from home to square off against the Lakers at 5:00 p.m. Urbana has given up an average of 13.8 runs per game this season, but Thursday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Urbana is headed into Thursday's contest looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their 21st straight game on Friday. They came up short against Shawnee, falling 18-0.

Meanwhile, Indian Lake waltzed into their match on Tuesday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They came out on top against the Chieftains by a score of 7-3.

Bre Wisener spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and two unearned) runs on five hits and racked up eight Ks.

On the hitting side, Izzi Mackesy was excellent, going 2-for-3 with two RBI and one run. Those two RBI gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was MacKenzie Miller, who went 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI.

They weren't the only ones making solid contact: Indian Lake kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in three consecutive games.

Indian Lake pushed their record up to 14-8 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.6 runs over those games. As for Urbana, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-22.

Urbana might still be hurting after the 10-0 loss they got from Indian Lake in their previous matchup back in April. Can the Hillclimbers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.