Hillcrest Middle School Baseball Opens Season with 10–1 Win; Softball Sees Much Growth
BASEBALL:
Hillcrest Academy’s middle school baseball team made its debut last night on the road with a 10-1 victory over Pekin. Drayce Miller pitched a complete 4-inning game, allowing only one earned run with six strikeouts. Braxton Ropp, Noah Coblentz, Grey Miller, Tripp Carolan, Brooks Meyer, and Mason Schneider all had hits in the season opener.
With a full middle school roster this year, Hillcrest has the flexibility to allow 8th graders to play up with the Junior Varsity team. The boys defeated Pekin in three innings, with Calvin Meller doing most of the pitching, giving up only three hits and no earned runs. Abe Widmer, Calvin Meller, Becket Miller, Jaxson Brokaw and Levi Fernau all contributed with hits, with most of the scoring coming in the 3rd inning.
We are proud of all our boys on this strong start to the season and the Hillcrest Junior High baseball program!
SOFTBALL:
The MS Softball team took the field in its inaugural year, playing three games during the week. The 7th-grade team lost all three games but showed improvement throughout the week. Eliose Miller and Eden Willems did most of the pitching and continued to show improvement with consistency and velocity each outing. Livia Lundberg and Clara Miller lead the team, reaching base 3 times each throughout the week.
The 8th-grade team went 1-2, playing competitive games, with two losses and a run-ruling win over WACO. Elise Hartsock did the pitching in each game, throwing complete games in all three outings. Izzy Vigneron led the team in reaching base every time she was at the plate. Bria Ropp and Becca Elam were close behind her, reaching base all but twice.
It was a great start to the season, seeing growth in each of the players throughout the week. We are excited to see how they grow the rest of the year!
