Canon-McMillan is 1-7 against Hempfield Area since May of 2018 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. The Big Macs will host the Spartans at 4:15 p.m. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
On Thursday, Canon-McMillan was able to grind out a solid victory over Mt. Lebanon, taking the game 8-3. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Big Macs.
Canon-McMillan got a great performance from Brooke Bumer as she struck out 11 batters over 5.1 innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off seven hits. Bumer has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in eight consecutive appearances.
Hailey Swope
| 04/17/25 vs Mt. Lebanon | 3 |
| 03/17/25 vs Peters Township | 2 |
| 04/11/25 vs Pine-Richland | 1 |
| 04/04/25 vs Butler | 1 |
| 04/02/25 vs Trinity | 1 |
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Hailey Swope, who went 2-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and two RBI. Those three runs gave her a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Skylah Steban, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one run and one RBI.
Canon-McMillan hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. The team has now struck out at least four batters in four consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Hempfield Area put another one in the bag on Thursday to keep their perfect season alive. They blew past Butler 14-4. Considering the Spartans have won 11 contests by more than eight runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Claire Mitchell was incredible, going 2-for-3 with three runs, one triple, and one stolen base. Lauren Howard was another key player, going 2-for-3 with three RBI, one triple, and one stolen base.
Hempfield Area's win was their 13th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 14-0. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.1 runs on average over those games. As for Canon-McMillan, their win bumped their record up to 8-6.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Canon-McMillan has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.5 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Hempfield Area struggles in that department as they've been averaging 10.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Canon-McMillan suffered a grim 10-0 defeat to Hempfield Area in their previous matchup back in March. Will the Big Macs have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
