Tournament time has arrived once again, causing the Ravens and Lions to cross paths for the third time this year in the opening round of the Class 1A regional playoffs. 

From the get-go the home team, Hillcrest, took control of this postseason matchup up and never let go, defeating Lone Tree for the third consecutive time with a final score of 12-2, on July 1.  

This Hillcrest victory marks the end of Lone Tree’s baseball season. The Lions finished their 2023 campaign with a 1-19 record overall and a 1-11 record in conference play. 

Starting off the first inning with a bang sophomore Liam Schrock, the leadoff hitter for Hillcrest, blasted the ball past the fence for a solo home run. This gave Hillcrest the lead and it was one they would never let go of. 

The second frame saw the bats for the Ravens firing on all cylinders.

 Senior Grant Bender hit a leadoff double and this was followed by a base hit from fellow senior Josiah Beachy which led to Bender coming home for the score. Sophomore Mason Bender also hit a single and then the bases became loaded after sophomore Phoenix Anderson was struck by the ball.   

Bases loaded in the bottom of the second and who comes up to bat? None other than the Raven who hit a homer in the previous inning, Liam Schrock. 

There was an air of inevitability in the air, as if to say, “He’ll hit another one out of here, won’t he?” Some people say sequels pale in comparison to the originals, but Liam proved that notion to be flawed by hitting his second home run in as many innings, a grand slam. 

Clearing the bases Liam’s second HR gave Hillcrest a 6-0 lead, but the scoring did not cease there. After two Ravens made it on base Bender had the rare opportunity to bat for the second time in the same inning and he made the most of it, smashing the ball over the fence for a three-run home run. 

“I think at the plate they both did an outstanding job,” Hillcrest coach Danny Hershberger said about the superb hitting by Liam and Bender. “Grant had a great catch there to end the first inning as well. Couple of guys who are hitting their stride at the right time of year. Swinging the bat with a lot of confidence, just doing a great job for us. I was really proud of the way those two have come around and are really playing well for us right now.”

Lone Tree changed pitchers in the third frame. Coming in for sophomore Jack Patterson was freshman Emmett Burke. Despite the pitcher change Liam continued to be a thorn in the side of the Lions. 

Coming into this game Liam had three home runs on the year and in a single postseason game he was able to match that total. Hitting a third HR in his third time up to bat, Liam pushed Hillcrest’s lead to 10 after three innings played.  

Avoiding the shut out the Lions were able to put some runs on the board in the top of the fourth. With senior Mathew Hemsted and freshman Emmett Burke on base sophomore Maddox Jondle stepped up to the plate. Jondle proceeded to hit a double, bringing in Hemsted and Burke for two runs scored. 

Hillcrest switched pitchers in the fifth inning. Replacing senior Luke Schrock was sophomore Seth Ours. Luke performed quite well, ending his day with seven strikeouts, and giving up only one hit.

“Great job by Luke coming out, throwing strikes, just the senior leader stepping up there,” Hershberger said. “Seth comes in and just does his thing. He’s going to throw strikes, he is going to make good pitches and throw his off-speed for strikes. Really proud of the way those two just set the tone for us defensively, making it difficult for their batters.”

The fifth inning would finally see an at bat where Liam did not hit a HR, but the double he ended up hitting did bring in Bender for the score. Liam ended the game with a team high seven RBIs and a team leading four hits, a marvelous offensive performance overall.

One last pitching change occurred for Lone Tree in the bottom of the sixth. Senior Drew Gauley came in for Burke, but this inning would not last long. Ours hit a leadoff single and came home for the score to end the game, 12-2, off the bat of Luke Schrock. 

Continuing the tournament trail, Hillcrest (19-4) hosted a second round Class 1A playoff game against the Keota Eagles (11-11) on July 5. The last time these two teams faced off against each other was in 2018, a game the Ravens won, 16-7.