They trailed early, and surrendered a lead, but Hillcrest softball would not be denied Tuesday night, winning a back-and-forth battle with Columbus.

In a game heard on the KCII3 Stream, the Wildcats got on the board first as the team’s two juniors Aracely Garza and Lily Coil came around to score. Kennedy Woepking had one of her two doubles in the opening frame, knocking in a run. She would finish perfect at the plate with two RBIs.

Hillcrest got to work in the bottom half, putting their first six runners on base and plating five of them. This included three consecutive Wildcat errors, in a game where each team committed five. Stavia Miller had an RBI single to cap off an eventful opening inning for both sides and the Ravens jumped ahead 5-2.

Pitchers Woepking and Malia Yoder made quick work of the second, then Daniela Diaz drove in Woepking to draw Columbus within two. They would get those two in the very next inning to tie the game at five. From that point on, the Ravens would immediately answer every Wildcat rally. Three straight hits from Yoder, Delaney Shaw, and Claire Withrow fueled a three-run fourth putting Hillcrest back up front.

The Wildcats countered with two more in the sixth before another two crossed the plate for Hillcrest. With added insurance, Malia Yoder sealed it in the seventh to earn her fourth win. Yoder struck out 12 allowing nine hits, walking two and hitting two. While Woepking picked up the loss, Columbus also got four strikeouts from Coil in two innings of work.

Erasing a five-game losing streak, Hillcrest can make it back-to-back wins tonight as they host New London. The Wildcats have a day off before heading to Lone Tree Thursday.