The Hillsboro Hiltoppers will head out on the road to challenge the Gillespie Miners at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Hillsboro is no doubt hoping to put an end to a five-game streak of away losses.
Hillsboro is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to ten runs on Monday, they were much more limited against Pana on Thursday. They lost 12-2 to the Panthers.
Hillsboro saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Peyton Chappelear, who went 1-for-2 with a stolen base and a double.
Meanwhile, Gillespie came tearing into Wednesday's matchup with seven straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 9.9 runs) and they left with even more momentum. They never let the Panthers onto the board and left with a 10-0 win. The result was nothing new for Gillespie, who have now won 17 games by six runs or more so far this season.
Emma Gipson made a big impact no matter where she played. She didn't allow a single earned run and only two hits while striking out seven over six innings pitched. Gipson has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in 17 consecutive pitching appearances. Gipson was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI.
In other batting news, Sadie Sholtis and Delaney Taylor did most of the damage at the plate: Sholtis went 1-for-3 with a home run, two runs, and two RBI, while Taylor went 2-for-2 with three RBI, a triple, and a run. Wrigley Releford was another key contributor, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-2.
Hillsboro's defeat dropped their record down to 11-11. As for Gillespie, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 14 of their last 15 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 22-4 record this season.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Hillsboro has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Gillespie struggles in that department as they've been averaging 2.9. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Hillsboro might still be hurting after the 16-2 loss they got from Gillespie when the teams last played back in May of 2023. Can Hillsboro avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
