Hilltop has gone 7-1 against Antwerp recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Cadets will be playing at home against the Archers at 5:00 p.m. Hilltop will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each match than the last.
Hilltop's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Wednesday. They put the hurt on Stryker with a sharp 26-0 win. The result was nothing new for the Cadets, who have now won 14 contests by seven runs or more so far this season.
Giada Rising
| 04/30/25 @ Stryker | 12 |
| 04/17/25 vs Gorham Fayette | 11 |
| 05/02/24 vs North Central | 11 |
| 04/17/24 @ Gorham Fayette | 11 |
| 04/10/24 @ Montpelier | 11 |
Giada Rising was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 12 over five innings pitched. Those 12 strikeouts gave her a new career-high. She was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in four of her six plate appearances with four runs and one RBI.
In other batting news, Hilltop got a massive performance out of Kenley Routt, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs, one triple, and two RBI. Grace Serrano was another key player, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with three RBI and two runs.
Hilltop always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .623. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Stryker only posted an OBP of .000.
Meanwhile, Antwerp had to endure a six-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 3-1 victory over Wayne Trace on Wednesday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Archers have posted since April 8th.
Like Hilltop, Antwerp also got a great game from a two-way player: Elle Clem. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned run off six hits (and not a single walk). Clem has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with one run and one RBI.
Clem wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Caroline Rohrs, who went 1-for-3 with one RBI.
Hilltop has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 16-3 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Antwerp, their win was their first in the conference, bumping their conference record up to 1-5 and their overall record up to 8-10.
Antwerp's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Hilltop has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .535. It's a different story for Antwerp, though, as they've only averaged .344. Will they be able to contain Hilltop's hitters?
Everything went Hilltop's way against Antwerp in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, as Hilltop made off with a 10-0 victory. Do the Cadets have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Archers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
