Hilltop has been on the road for three straight, but on Thursday they'll finally head home. They will take on the North Central Eagles at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Hilltop knows how to get runs on the board -- the team has finished with flashy run totals in its past four contests -- so hopefully North Central likes a good challenge.
In what's become a running theme this season, Hilltop gave their fans yet another huge win on Tuesday. They never let Stryker onto the board and left with a 21-0 victory. Give Hilltop's pitching crew some credit: that's the team's third straight shutout.
Kelsy Connolly was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She didn't allow a single earned run and only one hit while striking out 15 over five innings pitched. Connolly has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in 12 consecutive pitching appearances. Connolly was also solid in the batter's box, scoring three runs while getting on base in three of her five plate appearances.
In other batting news, Hilltop let Joscelyn Layman and Halle Jones loose on the outfield. Layman went 2-for-5 with a home run, five RBI, and a stolen base, while Jones went 4-for-5 with four RBI, two runs, and a stolen base. Jones has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last five times she's played. Giada Rising was another key contributor, scoring four runs while going 3-for-5.
North Central lost 11-1 to Montpelier on Thursday. That's two games in a row now that North Central has lost by exactly ten runs.
Hilltop pushed their record up to 16-5 with that win, which was their third straight on the road. As for North Central, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost four of their last five games, which put a noticeable dent in their 2-7 record this season.
Hilltop took their victory against North Central when the teams last played back in March by a conclusive 9-2. Will Hilltop repeat their success, or does North Central have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
