The Hillsboro Hiltoppers will head out on the road to face off against the Effingham Hearts at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Hillsboro has struggled recently with three losses in a row, while Effingham will arrive with three straight wins.
Things were looking good for Hillsboro after they put the first runs on the board on Friday, but unfortunately for them things went downhill from there. They lost 20-4 to Southwestern. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest defeat the Hiltoppers have suffered since March 22nd.
Briley Kirby was cooking despite her team's loss, scoring three runs while going 3-for-3.
Meanwhile, while Effingham put up some runs on Saturday, the same can't be said for Mahomet-Seymour. The Hearts narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past the Bulldogs 2-0. Those two runs were actually the fewest the Hearts have put up all season, but given the result they're probably not too concerned.
Not much got past Natalie Armstrong, who gave up just four hits to keep Mahomet-Seymour off the board. Armstrong has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Effingham's win was truly a team effort as two different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Jerzi Bierman, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-3.
Effingham now has a winning record of 5-4. As for Hillsboro, their loss dropped their record down to 4-7.
Effingham's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Monday. Hillsboro has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.7 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Effingham, though, as they've been averaging only 4 strikeouts. Will Hillsboro keep running through batters, or will the Hearts buck the trend?
Hillsboro might still be hurting after the 11-1 defeat they got from Effingham in their previous meeting back in April of 2023. Can the Hiltoppers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
