The Hillcrest Huskies will head out on the road to face off against the Brighton Bengals at 3:30 p.m. on Monday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Hillcrest has three straight victories, Brighton has three straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Hillcrest put the finishing touches on their seventh blowout victory of the season on Friday. They blew past Park City 23-5. While fans of Hillcrest might be used to big wins, the 18-run margin marked the team's biggest win yet this season.
Kyli Carrell made a splash no matter where she played. She didn't allow a single earned run and only two hits while striking out nine over four innings pitched. Carrell has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than eight strikeouts in four consecutive pitching appearances. Carrell was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with a home run, two runs, and a double.
In other batting news, Hillcrest got a massive performance out of Elliot Baddley, who went 3-for-3 with two triples, two stolen bases, and three runs. Brooklyn Ricci was another key contributor, scoring four runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, Brighton suffered a rough 15-2 loss at the hands of Westlake on Saturday.
Brighton saw one different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Emma Shaw, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-2. The team also got some help courtesy of Audrey Fleckenstein, who scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in all two of her plate appearances.
Hillcrest's victory bumped their record up to 8-4. As for Brighton, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-9.
Monday's matchup might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Hillcrest has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .536. However, it's not like Brighton struggles in that department as they've averaged .456. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Hillcrest came out on top in a nail-biter against Brighton when the teams last played back in May of 2023, sneaking past 6-5. The rematch might be a little tougher for Hillcrest since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
