It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Freedom Area had no problem doing just that on Thursday. They blew past the Apollo Ridge Vikings 12-2. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Bulldogs.
Boden Hilliard was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He struck out seven batters over five innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off five hits (and not a single walk). That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in March. He was also big at the plate, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with two RBI.
Mason O'Donnell
| 05/15/25 vs Apollo Ridge | 5 |
| 03/24/25 @ Northgate | 4 |
| 04/16/24 @ Aliquippa | 4 |
| 05/08/25 @ Aliquippa | 3 |
| 04/28/25 vs Aliquippa | 3 |
In other batting news, Freedom Area got a massive performance out of Mason O'Donnell, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with one home run, five RBI, and two runs. Those five RBI gave O'Donnell a new career-high. Tommy Ward was another key player, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Freedom Area always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .667. They are a perfect 7-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Freedom Area's win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 12-7. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.4 runs on average over those games. As for Apollo Ridge, they are on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 7-11.
Looking ahead, Freedom Area will face off against Neshannock on Monday. Apollo Ridge does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
