The Hillsboro Hawks (8-5) headed to Perryville Thursday night to take on the red hot Pirates (8-2). Thanks to two consecutive three-run innings, the Hawks proved victorious, winning 7-3 over the Pirates.
Both teams came into Thursday night’s game on a run of good form over their last few contests. The Hawks entered on a run of five straight wins, the most recent of which came on a 12-0 win over North County the night before. The Pirates had also won five in a row entering Thursday night, with their most recent win also coming against North County by a score of 12-2.
Junior Elly Eckrich was responsible for the pitching duties for the Hawks Thursday night. Eckrich has had a great season on the mound thus far, posting a record of 1-1 with a team-best ERA of 1.77.
The Hawks were the first to get a run on the board, taking a 1-0 lead in the first thanks to a double from Sara Stokes that drove in Hailey Genge.
The score remained 1-0 until the top of the third when the Hawks were able to extend their lead. The inning’s scoring got started with an RBI double from Alanah Dunphy, followed by a pair of runs driven in via fielder’s choice from Ellie Bartlett and Stokes.
The score standing at 4-0, the Pirates finally scored their first run of the game in the bottom of the third when an error from the shortstop Dunphy brought home a run.
The Hawks extended their lead yet again in the top of the fourth inning. Back-to-back doubles from Ryleigh Hindle and Lauren Nichols snagged a run for the Hawks, then Dunphy smacked a two-run home run to left to extend their lead to 7-1.
Perryville began to mount a comeback attempt in the bottom of the fifth after remaining scoreless in the fourth. After back-to-back doubles to put two runners on, a single and a ground out brought the two runners home.
Thanks to Eckrich’s excellent pitching, the Pirates failed to score in the sixth and seventh innings, giving the Hawks a 7-3 win.
Eckrich was credited with the victory for her performance, going seven innings and giving up six hits, three runs (one earned), a walk and four strikeouts.
Leadoff hitter and shortstop Dunphy had an excellent game at the plate for the Hawks, going 2-4 with three RBIs, a double and a home run. That home run was Dunphy’s first of the season, she now has a batting average of .333 with 10 RBIs.
Freshman Nichols had the most hits on the night for the Hawks, going 3-3 with two doubles, an RBI and two runs scored.
Genge and Bartlett had the other multi-hit games, with both recording a pair of hits. Genge went 2-4 with two runs scored, and Bartlett went 2-3 with an RBI and a double.
The Hawks now stand at 9-5 on the season and have won six consecutive games.
