After five straight losses to open the season, , Jamie Schmitz’s Hillsboro softball team was in need of a spark.

Monday afternoon, freshman shortstop Destiny Shore lit a fire under in the Tigers with a walk-off, game-winning hit.

Shore’s single to left field in the bottom of the eighth inning scored senior center fielder Kelli Janecek and delivered a 5–4 victory over visiting Cashton in the first game of a Scenic Bluffs doubleheader.

The Tigers used another late rally, scoring six runs in the top of the sixth inning of the nightcap, to complete the sweep with a 10–6 victory.

Hillsboro improved to 2–5 overall on the season and 2–3 in the SBC.

The Tigers rallied late in the opener as well, sending the game to extra innings with a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Shore finished the opening game with two hits in three at-bats, while senior pitcher CJ Hofmeister went 3-for-4 to help her own cause.

Shore’s late heroics made a winner of Hofmeister (1–2), who allowed four earned runs on nine hits in eight innings.

Hofmeister struck out four and walked two.

In the nightcap junior outfielder Riley Fisher went 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs.

Senior outfielder Jaimy Pettit went 2-for-4 with an RBI, and freshman Brittany Borchardt drove in two runs.

The Tigers took full advantage of 11 walks to battle back from a 5–2 third-inning deficit.

Senior Ali Brey (1–1) earned the victory in the pitching circle with three solid innings in  relief of Hofmeister.

Hofmeister was lifted after allowing five runs on eight hits in four innings of work.

But Brey put the clamps down on Cashton, allowing just one run on four hits over the final three innings.

Hillsboro battered Cashton starter Lindsey Kramer for 10 runs on eight hits and 11 walks in six innings.

Saturday, Hillsboro dropped a pair of non-conference games at the La Farge Tournament.

Eventual champion Brookwood defeated the Tigers 9–3 in the semifinals.

Schmitz then played her JV in a 10–2 loss to La Farge in the consolation game.

Brookwood defeated Kickapoo, 6–5, in the championship game.

Last Thursday the SBC-leading Brookwood Falcons hammered visiting Hillsboro in a pair of conference games at Ontario.

Junior catcher Olivia Hansen went 4-for-4 with three doubles and four RBIs to lead the undefeated Falcons (8–0, 6–0 SBC) to a 17–0 win in game one.

Senior Morgan Hyatt went 3-for-3 with a triple and two RBIs, and also collected the win with a five-inning, four-hit shutout.

Junior shortstop Leticya Madrigal went 5-for-5 with a double and triple as Brookwood cruised in the nightcap 21–2.

Hansen and freshman Briana Nelson went 3-for-4 in the win.

Hillsboro will return to action today with a SBC doubleheader at Royall. The Tigers will then host Bangor in a single game Monday.