Hillsboro Lady Indians perfect for 4 consecutive FAC seasons

GREENFIELD — The Hillsboro Lady Indians are on a special run in the Frontier Athletic Conference, as they are now undefeated in the conference standings the past four seasons, with the 40th consecutive FAC win coming on Tuesday night in Greenfield, defeating the host McClain Lady Tigers, 11-0. 

Hillsboro (10-0, 18-2) clinched the conference championship the previous night, in an 8-1 win over the same McClain team at Hillsboro High School on Monday. The following day, the Lady Indians stayed perfect with the 11-run win, starting with a 2-0 lead after the first inning. 

From there, HHS added eight runs in the top of the fourth and one last run in the top of the fifth inning. In all, the Lady Indians collected 15 hits and committed no errors, while McClain had two hits and two errors in the Highland County showdown. 

“The girls coming in as seniors, and last year’s seniors, really bought into what we wanted to do and have carried out what we wanted to do. It's gotten them to where they're at now,” Hillsboro head coach Gary Breeden said. “[Winning the FAC again] is huge. I mean, it just shows the dedication from when they were freshmen, the classes that were above them, and how they've kept that dedication and the respect of showing tradition.

“We’ve fought through ebbs and flows through the games, stayed even keeled when we did have something go wrong, didn't get frustrated, battled with it. “

Hillsboro’s first run of the game came off a double by Camryn Spruell, scoring Mylea Fridley, who singled to initially reach the bases. 

Then came the fourth inning, the inning where Hillsboro took the momentum, starting with a lead-off home run by Addi Huff, sending the ball over the right field fence. 

The next base runner for Hillsboro was Reagan Clemons, who singled to left field with one out, followed by a two-out single by Halle Reveal, scoring Clemons for the 4-0 lead. 

Next was a double by Fridley, moving Reveal to third base, then Rhianna Clemons was hit by a pitch, loading the bases for Spruell. 

Spruell took advantage of having the bases loaded, hitting a grand slam over the centerfield fence and sending the score to 8-0.

The inning wasn’t finished, as Chloe Roberts kept things going with a single, followed by a base hit by Huff. Isabelle Brunck singled, and on the same play McClain committed an error, allowing Roberts and Huff to score runs for a 10-run advantage. 

In the top of the fifth, HHS added one final run, as Fridley scored a run off a base hit by Roberts. 

Fridley finished the game 4-for-4 with three runs and two doubles. Reveal was 2-for-4 with a run and one RBI.

Spruell went 2-for-2 with two runs, five RBI, one walk, a double and a grand slam. Roberts finished 2-for-4, scoring one run and collecting one RBI. Huff finished 2-for-3 with two runs and one RBI. 

Reagan Clemons was 1-for-3 with a run, Brunck went 1-for-3, and Rhianna Clemons was 1-for-3 with a run. 

“We came out, started swinging the bat hard and continued swinging hard through the game,” Breeden said.

In the circle, Spruell pitched all five innings, allowing no runs, two hits, no walks and had 12 strikeouts. 

For McClain (2-8, 7-13), Olivia Stegbauer was 1-for-2, and Allie Flowers was 1-for-2, as her hit was a double. In the circle, the loss went to Gracie Bowers, who finished with two strikeouts. 

McClain head coach Molly Stegbauer spoke about her team following the game. 

“I was proud of the girls’ effort tonight. We knew going into it that we would have our hands full with Hillsboro. We couldn’t quite get our bats on the ball the way we would have liked, but the girls never gave up trying,” Stegbauer said. “Hillsboro hit pretty well, but Gracie stayed poised on the mound and never got rattled. In fact, I think she gave the overall lineup more trouble than they had expected, as half of the runs scored tonight came from a single batter, Spruell, who hit a double and a grand slam.”

The McClain head coach continued to speak about her team and the seniors. 

“Although we had a couple of errors, the girls played solid defense. Our infield executed well, no overthrows or bad decisions,” Stegbauer said. “The outfield did their job as they have all season, snagging balls on the fly, and knocking down hard hit ground balls and getting them back in quickly. 

“It’s sad knowing that this was our seniors’ last game on their home field. Gracie [Bowers], Allie [Flowers], Harley [Peabody] and Jacolyn [Bolender] will forever hold a special place in our hearts. We will miss their dedication and contributions to this team.”

Publisher's note: A free press is critical to having well-informed voters and citizens. While some news organizations opt for paid websites or costly paywalls, The Highland County Press has maintained a free newspaper and website for the last 25 years for our community. If you would like to contribute to this service, it would be greatly appreciated. Donations may be made to: The Highland County Press, P.O. Box 849, Hillsboro, Ohio 45133. Please include "for website" on the memo line.