For the first time this season, Hillsboro will have a chance to prove themselves in a conference matchup. They will welcome the Southwestern Piasa Birds at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Hillsboro is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.3 runs per game this season.
On Thursday, Hillsboro didn't have quite enough to beat Jersey and fell 7-6. The Hiltoppers haven't had much luck with the Panthers recently, as the team has come up short the last five times they've met.
Briley Kirby was cooking despite her team's loss, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 3-for-4. The team also got some help courtesy of Ella Greenwood, who went 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI.
Meanwhile, Southwestern didn't have quite enough to beat Highland on Wednesday and fell 5-4.
Josie Hagen made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with one home run and two runs. That home run marked the first that she launched this season. Sydney Valdes was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one triple and one run.
Southwestern's loss was their third straight on the road, which dropped their record down to 2-3-1. As for Hillsboro, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-6.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Friday. Hillsboro hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.8 home runs per game. However, it's not like Southwestern struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.5 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Hillsboro was able to grind out a solid victory over Southwestern when the teams last played back in April of 2024, winning 6-3. Do the Hiltoppers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Piasa Birds turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
