Pettisville hasn't had much luck against Hilltop recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Blackbirds will challenge the Cadets at 5:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Pettisville will roll into the matchup after a wild two-game stretch: they didn't score any runs on Monday, then bounced right back against Gorham Fayette on Wednesday. The Blackbirds blew past the Eagles 22-1. The Blackbirds haven't had any issues with the Eagles recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive victory against them.
Macy Hoylman made a splash no matter where she played. On the mound, she tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Hoylman was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two runs and one stolen base.
In other batting news, Naomi Richer was a standout: she got on base in all four of her plate appearances with one home run, four runs, and four RBI. Olivia Miller was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and four RBI.
Pettisville was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .500. They are a perfect 9-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Meanwhile, Hilltop had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 13 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Wednesday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand the Panthers a 26-0 shutout.
Like Pettisville, Hilltop also got a great game from a two-way player: Giada Rising. She looked comfortable on the mound, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 12 over five innings pitched. Those 12 strikeouts gave Rising 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. Another player making a difference was Maggie Altman, who went 3-for-4 with three runs and three RBI.
Pettisville's win was their fifth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 10-5. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.0 runs on average over those games. As for Hilltop, their record now sits at 16-3.
Both Pettisville and Hilltop just can't seem to miss. The Blackbirds have been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 10 hits per game. However, it's not like Hilltop struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 4.5 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Pettisville suffered a grim 10-0 defeat to Hilltop when the teams last played back in May of 2024. Can the Blackbirds avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
