Hilltop put the finishing touches on their 12th blowout victory of the season on Tuesday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand the Stryker Panthers a 21-0 shutout. Give Hilltop's pitching crew some credit: that's the team's third straight shutout.
Kelsy Connolly was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and only one hit while striking out 15 over five innings pitched. Connolly has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in 12 consecutive pitching appearances. Connolly was also solid in the batter's box, scoring three runs while getting on base in three of her five plate appearances.
In other batting news, Hilltop let Joscelyn Layman and Halle Jones loose on the outfield. Layman went 2-for-5 with a home run, five RBI, and a stolen base, while Jones went 4-for-5 with four RBI, two runs, and a stolen base. Jones has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last five times she's played. Giada Rising was another key contributor, scoring four runs while going 3-for-5.
Hilltop's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 16-5. As for Stryker, they have been struggling recently as they've lost five of their last six contests, which is still a better percentage than their 1-8-1 record this season.
Hilltop will be playing at home against North Central at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. One thing working in Hilltop's favor is that they have posted big run totals in their last four matches. As for Stryker, they will look to defend their home field on Friday against Waldron at 5:00 p.m.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
