The Hillside Hornets will face off against the Durham School of the Arts Bulldogs at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Hillside has four straight wins, Durham School of the Arts has 21 straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Hillside proved they can win big last Tuesday (they won by 15) and last Thursday they proved they can win the close ones too. They skirted past South Garner 13-12. While the Hornets didn't have the best season last year (they finished 1-11), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
Hillside got a big performance out of Ava Duncan, who scored a run while going 2-for-3. The dominant performance also gave Duncan a new career-high in RBI (three). Jaylin Robinson was another key player, going 3-for-4 with three RBI and one double.
Duncan wasn't the only one working in the hit department: Hillside kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 17 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits every time they've taken the field this season.
Meanwhile, Durham School of the Arts lost 18-3 to Vance County on Tuesday.
Arianna Dillon made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, three RBI, and one double. Those RBI marked the first that she brought in this season.
Durham School of the Arts' defeat dropped their record down to 0-5. As for Hillside, they pushed their record up to 4-0 with the victory, which was their third straight at home.
Durham School of the Arts' pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Hillside has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 15.2 hits per game. It's a different story for Durham School of the Arts, though, as they've been averaging 11.4 hits. Given Hillside's sizable advantage in that area, Durham School of the Arts will need to find a way to close that gap.
Hillside took their win against Durham School of the Arts when the teams last played two weeks ago by a conclusive 18-7. Does Hillside have another victory up their sleeve, or will Durham School of the Arts turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
