Hillsboro advances to district finals: Spruell K’s 17 in win over Fairland

The Hillsboro Lady Indians are headed to the Division II SE District Finals, and they are going in convincing fashion. Behind solid pitching and hitting from sophomore Camryn Spruell, the Lady Indians stamped their ticket to the district final game with a 4-0 victory Wednesday over the Fairland Lady Dragons at Ohio University. 

Spruell showed why she’s one of the top pitchers around as she pitched all seven innings, allowing no runs on two hits and no walks. Spruell struck out 17 batters in the Hillsboro district final win. The sophomore threw 84 pitches, 67 for strikes, and she faced 23 Fairland batters. 

Spruell struck out the first 12 batters she faced, and Fairland didn’t have their first hit until the top of the fifth inning, a double. FHS had their other hit in the sixth inning.

The sophomore Spruell was also on point at the plate, hitting a third-inning two-run home run for a then-2-0 lead and finishing the game 2-for-3 with two runs and three RBI, as her other hit was a double. 

Following the two-run third — as Spruell’s home run also scored Eowyn Brown, who singled to reach the bases — Hillsboro added two final runs in the fifth inning. 

That fifth inning saw Halle Reveal take first base via error, and on that same error she landed at third base to lead off the inning. Spruell gained her third RBI with a line drive double smashed to centerfield, scoring Reveal from third for a three-run lead. 

The Hillsboro lead went to four runs when Addie Huff batted in Spruell from second base with a line drive to right field, making it a four-run Hillsboro advantage. 

For the game, the Lady Indians (21-2) totaled seven hits and had zero errors, while Fairland finished with two hits and committed four errors. 

“Thanks to everyone who made Athens like a home game,” Hillsboro head coach Gary Breeden said. “It was an excellent atmosphere. The kids' energy was electric.”

Brown finished the game 2-for-3 with one run. Also with a hit were Huff (1-for-3, one RBI, a steal), Hannah Burton (1-for-3) and Rhianna Clemons (1-for-3). 

Hillsboro won’t have much rest as they will face the Unioto Lady Shermans (22-3) on Thursday, May 17 at 6 p.m. at Ohio University in the Division II SE District Finals. UHS defeated Jackson, 1-0 on Wednesday, as they scored their lone run in the bottom of the sixth. This regular season, HHS defeated Jackson, 9-2 and 10-0, as the Lady Indians were champions of the Frontier Athletic Conference for the third consecutive season.

During the regular season, they split their season series, as Hillsboro defeated Unioto, 5-3 in Hillsboro on March 27. Hillsboro had seven hits and no errors in the victory, with three one-run innings and a two-run inning in the fifth. On April 8, Unioto defeated Hillsboro, 8-6 in Hillsboro. In that game both teams had four-run innings and played a closely contested game. HHS led 6-1 after two innings, but UHS scored four runs in the top of the fifth and three runs in the sixth inning. 

The win moves Hillsboro to 21-2 overall this season.

BOX SCORE
FHS    000 000 0 — 0 2 4
HHS    002 020 x — 4 7 0