(April 30th, 2015) – EDON: Hilltop is considered by most to be the best the Buckeye Border Conference (BBC) has to offer, not only because of their current standing in the league, but the repeat championships that preceded this season as well. The Lady Bombers have grown so much as a team throughout the year, with several of their younger players stepping up along the way. The two teams met on Thursday, April 30, and the result of the match-up between two of the BBC’s premier squads went about how one would expect, despite the final score.
Hilltop came on strong late in the contest, defeating Edon 9-5.
Each team produced their first run in the second inning, locking the teams in a 1-1 tie. Edon quickly broke up that knot, racking up 3 runs in the bottom of the third. The Lady Cadets, not content to play from behind, tacked 4 runs on to their total, taking over the lead with a 5-4 margin. In the bottom half of the inning, however, the Bombers would earn another run to tie the game up once again.
A quiet fifth inning led into Hilltop once again establishing control with a 1 run effort in the sixth. Now ahead 6-5, the Cadets found themselves in solid position to steal a win on the road. They took full advantage, clamping down defensively to refuse Edon any runs in the final two innings. Hilltop, on the other hand, had a strong showing in the top of the seventh, scoring 3 runs to put the game away.
Karissa Crisenbery had a remarkable evening at the plate. The junior knocked in 5 RBIs, hitting a pair of doubles and a home run on a 3 for 4 day. Freshman Cadet Becca Miller went 2 for 4 in the batter’s box, driving in an RBI on 1 of her 2 singles. Julia Dunson earned a hit on 1 of her 3 plate appearances, swinging her way to an RBI single.
Sophomore Shaylee Manahan continued to shine for the Lady Bombers, crushing her 1 hit out of 3 attempts for a 2 run home run. Kaitlin Chrisman, a senior for Edon, went 2 for 3 at the plate, hitting an RBI single in addition to a second trip to first base. Classmate Alex Kiess, going 1 for 4, hit an RBI double.
Junior Bailey Funkhouser earned the win for Hilltop, pitching for all seven innings. She gave up 5 earned runs off of 7 hits. However, Funkhouser also struck out 9 batters while walking just 1 more in the victory.
Chrisman had a tough outing at the mound for the Lady Bombers. In her seven innings of work, the veteran pitcher allowed 7 earned runs on 11 hits. She also earned 3 strikeouts, walking no one in a display of excellent control.