New London knocks out Hillcrest in slugfest

NEW LONDON — The bats were rattling on Tuesday at the New London softball field. The Hosting Tigers and visiting Hillcrest Academy Ravens combined for 24 runs in a Class 1A Region 8 opener. New London came out on top, 14-10.

Hillcrest, which came into postseason play at 0-22, was sniffing its first win early. The game was tied 1-1 after one inning. The Ravens led 4-3 after two and 6-3 after three.

When the game hit its halfway point, however, New London stood tall.

Trailing by three runs in the bottom of the fourth, the Tigers batted around the order, scoring eight runs in the frame to jump on top 11-6. The lead would reach 14-6 by the start of the final inning.

The Ravens had one final rally in the top of the seventh, cutting the lead in half with four runs of their own, but New London hung on to live another day.

New London pitcher Elly Manning didn’t have the sharpest day in the circle, giving up 10 runs (eight) earned but she helped her own cause in a big way at the plate. The Tiger sophomore went 2-for-4 with four RBIs to lead the offense.

Claire Jones was 2-for-4 with two RBIs to aid New London’s cause. Natalie Burden finished the night 1-for-3 with an RBI.

Hillcrest ‘s Sarah Miller had the big bat of the day, going 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs. Madeline Fox was 3-for-4 with a triple and two RBIs. Yanitza Gutierrez went 2-for-2 with two RBIs and Esther Hughes knocked in two as well.

Leah Bontrager pitched 4 1/3 innings for Hillcrest, allowing seven earned runs. Malia Yoder gave up seven runs (six earned) on 1 2/3 innings pitched.

New London moved to 7-22 with the win an earned a date at Winfield-Mount Union in the regional quarterfinals. Hillcrest Academy ends the year 0-23.