Hillsboro Lady Indians sweep FAC rival Jackson

One day following a 7-3 win over Frontier Athletic Conference rival Jackson, the Hillsboro Lady Indians hosted the same team at Hillsboro High School on Tuesday (April 16), where they once again left the softball field with a sound victory. 

This time, the Lady Indians gained the regular-season sweep against their conference counterpart with an 8-2 win, extending their FAC winning streak to 35 consecutive games, a streak that began in 2021. 

In the Tuesday win, it was Jackson leading 2-1 at the conclusion of the first inning, as Hillsboro’s one run in the bottom of the first came off a tough RBI earned by Chloe Roberts, who was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, scoring Mylea Fridley from third base. 

Then the bottom of the second took place for the host Lady Indians, and that’s where they broke away from their conference counterpart Ironladies. 

After the leadoff batter in the bottom of the second grounded out for HHS, Morgan Garman hit a line drive single to centerfield. Next, on a 0-2 count, Halle Reveal hit a line drive triple to right field, scoring Garman and tying the score at 2-2. 

Fridley followed with a six-pitch walk, then Eowyn Brown also walked, loading the bases with Reveal at third, Brown at second and Fridley at first base. Reveal scored Hillsboro’s third run on a pitching error, also moving Fridley to third base. 

With runners on the corners, Camryn Spruell blasted a towering home run for the Lady Indians over the centerfield fence, plating three runs for Hillsboro for a 6-2 HHS lead. 

HHS added two final runs in the bottom of the third to complete the scoring for the game, with Isabelle Brunck singling to centerfield in the first pitch of the at-bat. Next came a line drive triple to right field off the bat of Madison Dearmon. 

After two outs were recorded, Fridley forced a nine-pitch walk, and from there she advanced to second base on a passed ball. The final run for the Lady Indians crossed home plate when Brown reached first base on an error, scoring Dearmon for the 8-2 Hillsboro lead. 

“They’re a quality team, they play hard,” HHS head coach Gary Breeden said of Jackson. “We came in with an offensive game plan, staying behind the ball, and we executed.

“I'm very happy with our hitting right now. We're starting to see the ball a lot better than we have in some of our earlier games. We’re starting to make quality contact throughout the lineup. Our outfield — Mylea Fridley, Addy Huff, Morgan Garman — are just playing extremely solid defense. They made some really good plays.”

In all, the Lady Indians totaled nine hits and forced four walks, while also committing two errors. Jackson totaled four hits, committing three errors. 

Spruell was 3-for-3 with one run, three RBI and she also recorded a walk. 

Reveal was 1-for-4 with one run and one RBI, while Fridley went 1-for-2 with two runs and two walks. The Lady Indians also had Brown finish 1-for-2 with one run and one walk. 

HHS also had Brunck go 1-for-4 with one run, and teammate Dearmon ended the day at 1-for-3 with one run and one RBI. Garman finished the game 1-for-3 with one run. 

Reveal and Dearmon each hit a triple, and Spruell had the home run, giving HHS three players with extra base hits.

Spruell was the winning pitcher, pitching the complete seven-inning game, allowing two earned runs on four hits and three walks, with 12 strikeouts. Spruell had 119 pitches, 77 for strikes. 

The win improves the FAC first-place Lady Indians to 5-0 in the FAC and 12-1 overall this season. 

BOX SCORE
JHS    200 000 0  — 2 4 3
HHS    152 000 x — 8 9 2 

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.