The Hillsdale Falcons will venture away from home to face off against the Monroeville Eagles at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Hillsdale 3.7, Monroeville 2.5) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Hillsdale is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 12 runs on Thursday, they were much more limited against Strasburg-Franklin on Friday. They lost 9-2 to the Tigers. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest defeat the Falcons have suffered since April 19, 2024.
Kiki McFadden made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 1-for-3 with one home run. Jordyn Fickes was another key player, going 1-for-2 with one home run.
Meanwhile, Monroeville waltzed into their matchup on Friday with five straight wins... but they left with six. Their pitcher stepped up to hand the Roughriders a 7-0 shutout. The result was nothing new for the Eagles, who have now won 12 games by seven runs or more so far this season.
Veanna Helmstetter made a splash while hitting and pitching. She kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 14 over seven innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 20 consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with three runs and one stolen base.
In other batting news, Monroeville let Payton Weilnau and Taryn Tyler run wild. Weilnau went 1-for-3 with one triple, two RBI, and one run, while Tyler went 1-for-4 with two RBI, one run, and one double. That's the most RBI Weilnau has posted since back in March. The team also got some help courtesy of Avery Rosser, who went 3-for-4 with one RBI.
Hillsdale dropped their record down to 14-6 with the loss, which was their third straight on the road. As for Monroeville, their win bumped their record up to 19-2.
Saturday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Hillsdale hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .375. However, it's not like Monroeville struggles in that department as they've averaged .373. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Hillsdale beat Monroeville 5-0 when the teams last played back in May of 2019. Do the Falcons have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Eagles turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
