The Hillsboro softball team advanced to the semifinals of the Class 3A regional tournament in Council Grove Monday with an easy 15-0 win over Northern Heights in three innings.

The second-seeded Trojans, now 14-7, benefited from numerous walks again their winless opponents (0-19).

SCORECARD

Hillsboro was to square off Tuesday against Herington in the semifinals at Council Grove starting at 4:45 p.m. The Railers (11-8) defeated Marion, 10-0, in their first-round matchup, ending the Warriors’ season with a 2-21 record.

The championship game was to follow Tuesday at 6:30 p.m., with the winner advancing to state.

Haven—Hillsboro ended its regular season last Tuesday with a couple of shutout losses at Haven, 9-0 and 10-0.

Haven’s Erin Schmidt, a first team all-league pitcher last season as a sophomore, limited Hillsboro six hits for the entire day, including a one-hitter in Game 2.

Meanwhile, the Wildcats slapped out 21 hits.

In Game 1, Haven jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first, then inflated it to 6-0 with four more runs in the bottom of the second. That proved to be more than enough run support.

Hillsboro starter Jenesa Klose surrendered 10 hits in the game, walked one batter and struck out one. Five Trojan errors compounded the Wildcats’ potent hitting, which included three home runs.

In Game 2, Trojan fielding improved with only two errors committed. But, after a hopeful opening inning, the contest followed a similar path as the first.

Hillsboro led off the game with three hits, loading the bases with one out on hits by Jenesa Klose, Steph Abbott and Jessica Klose. But Schmidt struck out Taylor Nikkel and got Bri Loewen to ground out to third to end what turned out to be HIllsboro’s only serious scoring threat.

Abbott then went to the mound for her first appearance at pitcher—and promptly shut out the Wildcats in their first at-bat. But Haven scored every inning after that through the fifth, when the game ended by run-rule.

Abbott surrendered nine of Haven’s 11 hits. Klose returned to the mound to pitch when Abbott walked the lead-off batter in the fifth, and allowed the final two runs on two hits and two walks.

The losses gave Hillsboro a 13-7 record heading into regionals this week.

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