The Highland Hawks will head out on the road to face off against the Mesa Jackrabbits at 3:45 p.m. on Friday. Highland will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each match than the last.
Last Wednesday, Highland got the win against Chandler by a conclusive 13-5. Considering the Hawks have won seven games by more than five runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Kennedie Nelson spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned (and two unearned) runs on six hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances.
Abbie Shellabarger
| 03/19/25 @ Chandler | 4 |
| 02/27/25 @ Corona del Sol | 3 |
| 03/14/25 @ Cibola | 2 |
| 02/28/25 @ Chaparral | 2 |
| 02/28/25 vs Perry | 2 |
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Abbie Shellabarger, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 4-for-5. The dominant performance gave her a new career-high in hits. Easton Joslin was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-4.
Shellabarger wasn't the only one working in the hit department: Highland kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 15 hits. Highland is a perfect 7-0 when they post 11 or more hits.
Meanwhile, after soaring to 31 runs the game before, Mesa was a bit more limited in their contest on Thursday. They came up short against Casteel, falling 13-2. The Jackrabbits haven't had much luck with the Colts recently, as the team has come up short the last three times they've met.
Leah Alcala made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and scored a run and stole Three bases. while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances. Angela Bujanda also deserves some recognition as she scored her first run of the season.
Highland pushed their record up to 8-6 with the victory, which was their fifth straight on the road dating back to last season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.6 runs on average over those games. As for Mesa, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-3.
Mesa's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Highland has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.6 hits per game. It's a different story for Mesa, though, as they've been averaging 10.5 hits. Given Highland's sizable advantage in that area, Mesa will need to find a way to close that gap.
Highland took their win against Mesa in their previous meeting back in April of 2015 by a conclusive 21-5. Does Highland have another victory up their sleeve, or will Mesa turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
