The Montpelier Locomotives are taking a road trip to face off against the Hilltop Cadets at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Montpelier is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They were the clear victors by a 34-1 margin over Stryker on Tuesday. The Locomotives haven't had any issues with the Panthers recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive victory against them.
Madelyn Hopper made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out eight batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). She has been consistent : she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in eight consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with five RBI, one run, and one double.
Kelsie Bumb
| 04/15/25 @ Stryker | 6 |
| 04/01/25 vs Pettisville | 4 |
| 04/20/24 vs Delta | 4 |
| 05/10/24 vs Hicksville | 3 |
| 04/11/25 vs Hicksville | 2 |
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Kelsie Bumb, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with one home run, six RBI, and four runs. Those six RBI gave her a new career-high. Zoe Uribes was another key player, getting on base in all six of her plate appearances with three RBI, two runs, and one triple.
Montpelier always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .792. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Stryker only posted an OBP of .286.
Meanwhile, Hilltop entered their tilt with Edon on Tuesday with two consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with three. They blew past the Bombers 14-1.
Like Montpelier, Hilltop also got a great game from a two-way player: Giada Rising. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run over five innings pitched. Rising was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with three RBI.
In other batting news, Kelsy Connolly was incredible, going a perfect 5-for-5 with one home run, three runs, and three doubles. Another player making a difference was Kenley Routt, who scored four runs while going 4-for-5.
Hilltop pushed their record up to 10-1 with the win, which was their ninth straight on the road dating back to last season. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.1 runs on average over those games. As for Montpelier, the win got them back to even at 5-5.
Montpelier came out on top in a nail-biter against Hilltop in their previous meeting back in May of 2024, sneaking past 6-4. Do the Locomotives have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Cadets turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
