The Richland Rams will face off against the Westmont Hilltop Hilltoppers at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Richland is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They were the clear victors by a 20-4 margin over Greater Johnstown on Thursday. The win continues a trend for the Rams in their matchups with the Trojans: they've now won five in a row.
Marissa Naylor was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She pitched three innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off two hits. Naylor was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with four RBI.
In other batting news, Richland let Sophie Burke and Bella Marguccio run wild. Burke went 3-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and four RBI, while Marguccio went 3-for-4 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs. Jenna Jordan was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two runs, two RBI, and one double.
Richland was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .621. They are a perfect 3-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
While Westmont Hilltop didn't have the best season last year (they finished 5-10), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They were the clear victors by an 11-1 margin over Bellwood-Antis on Thursday. That's two games straight that the Hilltoppers have won by exactly ten runs.
Addy Dunbar made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run over seven innings pitched. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up a single walk in three consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI. That home run marked the first that she has launched this season.
In other batting news, Liz Veranese was incredible, going 3-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI. Those three runs gave her a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Bella Kist, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Westmont Hilltop's victory was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 6-1. The road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 16.8 runs over those games. As for Richland, the victory got them back to even at 4-4.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Tuesday. Richland hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.9 home runs per game. However, it's not like Westmont Hilltop struggles in that department as they've been averaging 1.4 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Richland beat Westmont Hilltop 8-3 in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Will the Rams repeat their success, or do the Hilltoppers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
