Hilltop hasn't had much luck against North Central recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Cadets will be taking part in a tournament against the Eagles at 5:00 p.m. Hilltop is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.5 runs per game this season.
Hilltop's pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Saturday. They blew past Northwood 9-0. The result was nothing new for the Cadets, who have now won seven contests by nine runs or more so far this season.
The result came thanks to Cameron Shimp's shutout, as he gave up just two hits and racked up seven Ks.
Zander Runkel
| 05/17/25 @ Northwood | 3 |
| 04/29/25 @ North Central | 2 |
| 05/12/25 @ Cardinal Stritch | 1 |
| 04/22/25 vs Holgate | 1 |
| 04/15/25 @ Edon | 1 |
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Zander Runkel, who went 3-for-4 with three RBI and two doubles. Those three hits gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Cameron Schlosser, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with two stolen bases and two runs.
Meanwhile, Saturday just wasn't the day for North Central's offense. They fell just short of Ayersville by a score of 1-0 on Saturday. Having soared to a lofty 11 runs in the game before, the Eagles' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.
Jackson Poynter spent all eight innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on four hits and racked up nine Ks. He also tossed no walks, which is notable because North Central is 2-1 when he allows at most one walk, but 7-10 otherwise.
On the hitting side, Briggs Fiser was cooking despite his team's loss, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with three stolen bases. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last three games he's played.
North Central's loss dropped their record down to 9-11. As for Hilltop, they now have a winning record of 11-10.
Hilltop suffered a grim 10-0 defeat to North Central in their previous meeting back in April. Will the Cadets have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
