The Middle Creek Mustangs will take on the Heritage Huskies at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Middle Creek's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed two weeks ago. They blew past Felton Grove 15-0. That's two games straight that the Mustangs have won by exactly 15 runs.
Hailey Hoeft
| 03/25/26 @ Felton Grove | 8 |
| 03/24/26 vs Felton Grove | 9 |
| 03/23/26 vs Willow Spring | 6 |
| 03/20/26 @ Sanderson | 8 |
| 03/17/26 vs Sanderson | 15 |
| + 4 more games |
Hailey Hoeft made a big impact no matter where she played. She struck out eight batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and not a single walk). She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts any time she's pitched this season. She was also big at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI and one double. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in April of 2025.
In other batting news, Middle Creek got a massive performance out of Kennedy Johnson, who went 2-for-3 with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. Kristen Norton was another key player, going 1-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double.
Middle Creek hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. The team has now struck out at least five batters in seven consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Heritage entered their tilt with Vance County on Tuesday with five consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with six. They put the hurt on the Vipers with a sharp 20-0 victory. The Huskies' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Like Middle Creek, Heritage also got a great game from a two-way player: Lydia Bollinger. On the mound, she struck out eight batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). Bollinger was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI.
In other batting news, Sam Langdon and Janiah Vargas did most of the damage at the plate: Langdon went a perfect 4-for-4 with one home run, five RBI, and three runs, while Vargas went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and one triple. That home run was Langdon's first of the season. Another player making a difference was Gianna DeVerna, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, two RBI, and one double.
Middle Creek now has a winning record of 5-4. As for Heritage, their win bumped their record up to 10-2.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Thursday. Middle Creek hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.6 home runs per game. However, it's not like Heritage struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.9 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Middle Creek came up short against Heritage in their previous meeting back in April of 2023, falling 7-2. Can the Mustangs avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
