WAYLAND

In similar fashion to their first matchup earlier in the season, the Ravens wasted no time in dispatching the Warriors. 

Breaking a four-game losing streak, Hillcrest (8-10) went on the road and defeated the WACO Warriors (0-13) in three innings, 18-5, on June 21.

This win was a milestone achievement for the Ravens, as they now have the most wins for the program since 2013. 

It has been a slow, but steady climb for Hillcrest softball after recording back-to-back winless seasons from 2020-21. After those seasons they tallied four wins, then seven, and now they are at eight with still one more week of the regular season left to play. 

For WACO, this is their first solo softball season since 2016 and they are still searching for their first win of the year. 

The first innings saw Hillcrest start off strong, scoring five to take a quick lead. WACO scored once in the bottom of the inning, but the Ravens asserted their dominance by putting up eight in the second.

After Hillcrest added to their lead with five more runs in the third, WACO responded with four runs in the same inning, but the game still ended thanks to the mercy rule. 

It was a great day at bat for Malia Yoder, who went three for three, with two hits being singles and one being a triple. Batting in a team high two RBIs each was Yoder, Claire Withrow, Stavia Miller, and Marryn Boshart.

Yoder also pitched in all three innings to take the win on the mound. The standout junior struck out three, gave up only one hit, and allowed two walks. 

Hillcrest 14, Danville 5

Making it back-to-back wins, the Ravens (9-10) stayed home and defeated the Danville Bears (3-17) on June 22.  

Similar to their last game, the Ravens started strong with seven runs in the first. After two Hillcrest held a 8-4 lead and then both teams went scoreless in the third. The Bears scored once more in the fourth, but Hillcrest was able to record one run in the fourth, the fifth, and the sixth innings. In the seventh the Ravens added four insurance runs to secure the win. 

Hillcrest had 12 hits as a team with Malia Yoder leading the way with three. Yoder also led the team in RBIs with five. In addition to her superb hitting ability, Yoder also earned another win on the mound, her ninth of the season. She tallied four strikeouts, gave up five hits, and allowed three walks. 

Hillcrest 5, Holy Trinity 2

The winning ways for the Ravens continued as they went on the road and defeated the Holy Trinity Catholic Crusaders (5-11) on June 24 to make it three victories in a row.  

This was a comeback victory for Hillcrest since the Crusaders took the first lead of the game with two runs in the second. In the top of the third the Ravens matched and surpassed Holy Trinity’s score but finding the home plate three times. 

Hillcrest held the Crusaders scoreless for the rest of the game and put up one run in the sixth and the seventh to arrive at their final score. 

The juniors of Hillcrest led the way on offense in this win. The junior trio of Delaney Shaw, Erin Bontrager, and Lydia Beachy all had two hits to lead the team. 

Fellow junior Malia Yoder earned another win on the mound for Hillcrest. Yoder pitched in all seven innings, retiring nine batters, only giving up one hit, and allowing three walks. 

Up next for Hillcrest (10-10) is a road game against the Wapello Arrows (13-13) on June 27.