Hillgrove had lost three straight on the road, but on Wednesday they dropped down to 6-7 to make it four. They lost 12-4 to the East Paulding Raiders. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest defeat the Hawks have suffered since October 30, 2024.
As for East Paulding, the win was the fourth in a row for them, bringing their record up to 7-5. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.5 runs over those games.
For East Paulding's part, Emma Hernandez was a major factor no matter where she played. She didn't allow a single earned run over five innings pitched. Hernandez has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in six consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Ella Heal, who went 2-for-4 with one home run, five RBI, and two runs. Those five RBI gave her a new career-high. Chloe Grier was another key player, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs, one double, and one RBI.
Hillgrove and East Paulding should be looking forward to their upcoming games as both have a sizable advantage in the MaxPreps Georgia Rankings. The Hawks will square off against Osborne at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday with a big rank advantage (146 vs. 377). Meanwhile, East Paulding (ranked 107th) will meet New Manchester (ranked 302nd) at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
