Why Not Hillsboro? Lady Indians are headed to state finals

AKRON — Why not the Hillsboro Lady Indians? 

Wednesday the 2025 Hillsboro softball team continued to write their names into the history books of Indians athletics. In fact, they've jumped to the front of the line with a 7-1 win in the Division IV State Semifinals against the Cortland Lakeview Lady Bulldogs at Firestone Stadium in Akron. 

Hillsboro (23-3) put together consecutive three-run innings in the top of the fifth and sixth, leading to their six-run win. HHS finished the game with nine hits and no errors, while Lakeview totaled four hits and two errors.  

Lakeview (22-5) scored first in the bottom of the third inning, but the Lady Indians responded with a run in the top of the fourth. From there came the aforementioned three-run innings of the fifth and sixth for the 7-1 final score. 

“Today’s game was a typical game for us offensively,” Hillsboro head coach Gary Breeden said. “We spend the first two or three innings trying to figure things out, then when we do the third, fourth, fifth inning, that’s when we start scoring. 

“We had a few atypical things happen, but other than that, this is how our games have been going here in the tournament.”

Starting pitcher Camryn Spruell explained how the Lady Indians are able to raise their level of play when needed. 

“I think once one person does something, we all want to do it,” she said. “We just all want to go at the same time, we want to make it a big inning. We don’t want to just get a big hit and be done, but we want to have that big inning.”

“We don’t settle,” senior Madison Dearmon added. 

Camryn Spruell was the winning pitcher, allowing one run (unearned) on four hits and six walks in seven innings in the circle. She faced 30 batters in 22 at-bats with 13 strikeouts. Spruell threw 123 pitches. 

“I just wanted to get back so we could hit, so that was my job,” Spruell said in a postgame press conference. “So I needed to get strikeouts or get put-outs, or get groundouts and flyouts, so I really think that's what I was trying to do, other than the six walks, but I’ll be better tomorrow.

“I really just tried to get back so we can hit again, and I really wanted to score the first run, but we didn’t, but we got several more, so it was fun.”

Isabelle Brunck led HHS at 3-for-4 with three RBI. Teammate Chloe Roberts finished 2-for-2 with two runs, two RBI and two walks. 

Also with a hit for the Lady Indians were Spruell, Addie Huff, Addley Miller and Reagan Clemons. Mylea Fridley, Spruell and Roberts each scored two runs, and Rilynn Swisshelm also scored a run as a courtesy runner. 

Just how did the Lady Indians earn their first trip to the state finals?

Hillsboro did so by taking advantage of a pitching change in the top of the fifth inning and continued their drive to the finals with a huge inning into the sixth, resulting in a two-inning offensive performance consisting of six hits, two walks, a hit by pitch, one error and a fielder’s choice that scored a run. 

“The biggest change was speed,” Breeden said when asked what was the biggest difference in the pitching change. “I think (Ava) Bacon is a good pitcher, she works low and outside, but she’s a little bit slower, and when they brought (Isabella) Isenberg in, the gir

ls are more comfortable hitting that kind of speed and higher. It kind of fell into our laps there.”

Looking back before their two-inning scoring outburst, Hillsboro trailed 1-0 after the third inning was completed when Kennedy Bartlett scored the first run of the game on a passed ball with two outs as she took first on a fielder’s choice, followed by taking second on a wild pitch and third on a passed ball. The run scored on another passed ball, putting Lakeview ahead 1-0. 

HHS overcame the issues in the at-bat, getting out of the inning by throwing out the runner at third base as Miller threw out the runner with the tag at third by Reagan Clemons to end the inning. 

The Lady Indians tied the score at 1-1 in the top of the fourth inning with a leadoff walk by Chloe Roberts, followed by an infield full-count single off the bat of Isabelle Brunck. After the first out was recorded, HHS saw Miller ground out to second, but collect an RBI with Roberts tying the score at 1-1. 

When the top of the fifth arrived, the Lady Bulldogs made a pitching change, and the fortunes for Hillsboro were the ones that improved. HHS went from having one run and two hits in the first four innings combined to a four-hit fifth and two-hit sixth inning. 

The top of the fifth began with two outs recorded off a groundout to second and another groundout to third. That was OK though as the Lady Indians had a two-out rally up their sleeve. Fridley kept the inning going with a single to right-centerfield, followed by a base hit to right-centerfield by Spruell. 

Then came an RBI single off the bat of Roberts, sending the ball to centerfield, putting Hillsboro in front at 2-1. Hillsboro’s lead increased to two runs when Brunck sent a hard-hit ball to centerfield for the RBI, scoring Spruell. The Lady Indians weren’t finished as a double by Addie Huff put Hillsboro ahead 4-1, scoring Roberts. 

Hillsboro continued their two-out scoring in the top of the sixth, beginning the inning with a lead-off single by Reagan Clemons, sending the ball down the third base line. Later, Clemons was out on a fielder’s choice, leaving Madison Dearmon at first base. Rilynn Swisshelm entered the game as a courtesy runner for Dearmon. 

After the second out was recorded, Fridley took first on an infield error, and Spruell was hit by a pitch in the next plate appearance. Roberts followed with a bases-loaded walk on five pitches, scoring Swisshelm. 

Brunck went to the plate in the ensuing at-bat and gave HHS two more runs on the Firestone Stadium scoreboard with a two-run single, plating Fridley and Spruell, as the senior celebrated with two hands in the air while crossing home plate for a 7-1 lead.

Hillsboro still had work to do as the first two Lakeview batters reached the bases with a walk and a single to start the bottom of the sixth. That was OK, as the senior Spruell dug deep to record three consecutive outs with a pop up to first baseman Dearmon and two consecutive strikeouts to end the threat. 

The history-making bottom of the seventh inning for Hillsboro started with Lakeview drawing consecutive walks on a total of 11 pitches. Next came a strikeout, but then the bases were loaded off a hit by pitch. 

With the bases loaded, Spruell showed why she’s achieved all the accomplishments she’s obtained in her softball career, but not before Coach Breeden had a visit in the circle with his infield and pitcher. 

So exactly what was said in the biggest moment of the season to date as Coach Breeden smiled while talking to his players in the middle of the infield?

“It was more or less to settle us down,” Breeden said. “Cam said, ‘I’ll straighten this out.’ It was more or less to just get the focus off of now we got the bases loaded. Let’s just focus on this, and get the job done.” 

In her biggest moment to date, Spruell — with the bases loaded — surpassed any pressure on the bases with a three-pitch strikeout for the second out, and the game ended with a pop up to third base as Roberts caught the final out for the win. 

Hillsboro’s Fridley spoke about winning in the state semifinals following the game. One word explained her feelings.

“Insane,” Fridley said. “I’m speechless.”

Teammate Dearmon also talked about getting to the biggest stage of them all with the win. 

“We’ve never made it past districts, and we were pumped to make it past districts, but to think that we made it this far … this was our goal at the beginning of the season, and we took that and ran with it. Why not Hillsboro?”

Dearmon also explained why this moment is special and the “Why not Hillsboro?” motto. 

“We’ve never done this, and our school is from a small little town. We’re not known to do this kind of stuff, so we’ve gotten this far, so why can’t we do it? We are from Hillsboro, we want to own it. It’s our job, and we can do it.”

HHS will play in the Division IV State Finals on Thursday, June 5 at 3 p.m. against the Kenton Ridge Cougars (31-0) at Firestone Stadium. 

Members of the 2025 Hillsboro Lady Indians are: 

1 Harper Conrad Fr.
2 Paisley Zink So.
3 Addie Huff Sr.
6 Mylea Fridley Sr.
7 Camryn Spruell Sr.
8 Chloe Roberts Jr.
9 Madison Karnes So.
10 Reagan Clemons Sr.
12 Rhianna Clemons Sr.
15 Isabelle Brunck Sr.
18 Camden Stroud Fr.
19 Madison Dearmon Sr.
20 Emory Zornes Fr.
21 Addley Miller Fr.
22 Leah Vance Fr.
23 Rilynn Swisshelm So.
24 Meredith Dietrick Jr.
35 Brylee Thornburgh Sr

BOX SCORE
HHS    000 133 0 — 7 9 0 
LHS    001 000 0 — 1 4 2