Hillsboro-Deering had lost nine straight on the road dating back to last season, but on Monday they dropped down to 1-9 to make it ten. They came up short against the Stevens Cardinals, falling 9-2. The result was an unpleasant reminder to the Hillcats of the 14-1 defeat they experienced in the pair's previous head-to-head fixture back in May of 2025.
Hillsboro-Deering saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Isaiah Sawyer, who went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases and one run.
As for Stevens, they are on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 8-5 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.2 runs on average over those games.
On Stevens' side, Logan Minkler made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits while striking out 12 over seven innings pitched. Those 12 strikeouts gave Minkler a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with three stolen bases, four runs, and one triple. He has become a key player for Stevens: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two stolen bases, but 3-5 otherwise.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Eric Emanouil, who went 2-for-3 with three stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last three games he's played. Ben Parkinson was another key player, going 1-for-4 with two runs and two RBI.
Coming up, Hillsboro-Deering will head out on the road to face off against Derryfield at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. The Cougars' pitching crew has only allowed 2.8 runs per game this season, so the Hillcats' hitters will have their work cut out for them. As for Stevens, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Newport at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The Tigers have struggled to contain batters this season (they've allowed 9.4 runs per game on average), something the Cardinals will no doubt try to take advantage of.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
