Baseball & Softball Weekly Recap

The annual Hillcrest Classic in Kalona Saturday was prosperous for the Raven baseball and softball teams.

The Raven baseball team was a big winner, crushing the Keokuk Chiefs 14-1. A first inning run had the home team out front at 1-0 until the fourth when the Ravens racked up 13 runs to blow things open at 14-0. The contest would end after just five innings. Nine different Ravens scored, seven had a hit with the team posting 10 total knocks. Kellen Miller had three hits with a pair of RBI, scoring twice. Lincoln Miller drove in two, Rowan Miller had two hits and scored twice. It was an RBI each for Rylan Good, Lawson Schrock, Danny Meyer and Rowan Miller. Beckett Miller scored twice. Ethan Yoder was the winner on the hill going all five frames, allowing just one hit and an earned run with four strikeouts. Hillcrest improved to 5-3 with the win, Keokuk dropped to 1-9.

The Raven softball team also shined early Saturday, blitzing the English Valleys Bears 10-1. An early 1-0 EV lead wouldn’t last long, with Hillcrest getting hot, scoring 10 unanswered, including a seven-run third. Hillcrest hammered out 15 hits and took advantage of seven errors for EV. Nine different Ravens recorded a hit, seven scored at least one run. Ella Mize had the biggest day at the plate, three hits, three RBI and a run scored. It was a two hit day each for Brynna Boshart, Isabelle Vigneron, Emma Parizek, and Lyla Genkinger. Boshart, Vigneron, Bria Ropp and Claire Miller each drove in a run. Boshart, Vigneron, and Annika Schrock all scored twice. Genkinger got the win, spinning six innings with four hits, one unearned run and striking out seven.

In the championship game they were beaten by top 15 in Class 1A Holy Trinity Catholic 3-0. The Crusaders out hit the Ravens 10-3. HTC had two RBI from Isabella Behne and two hits each from Aliva Holmes, Sydney Jarvis and Morgan Krogmeier while Jarvis got the win with a seven strikeout, three hit complete game shut out. Ella Mize had two hits for the Ravens, Vigneron the other and Mize threw six innings, with 10 hits, three earned runs and a strikeout.

The split snapped a three-game-skid for the Ravens and moved them to 4-10 this season, the Bears fell to 3-5, HTC is 11-3.

Tigers Trip Up Ravens in Twinbill – June 19, 2026 – BSBL/SB
Article Credit: Zach Ulin/KCII

The New London Tiger baseball and softball teams visited Kalona Monday and left with a pair of Southeast Iowa Superconference wins over the Ravens.

The softball contest went to the Tigers 10-3. New London never trailed, scoring once in the first, twice in the second and three times in the fourth to open a 6-0 advantage. The Ravens would get as close as 6-3 with a run in the fourth and two in the fifth, but insurance late for the Tigers put the game away. Hillcrest finished the night with seven hits. Isabelle Vigneron and Ava Miller led in the box with two hits each. Vigneron drove in a couple. Claire Miller, Annika Schrock, and Lyla Genkinger each had a hit. Vigneron, Miller and Schrock each scored once. Genkinger threw all seven innings with 12 hits, four earned runs, three walks and four strikeouts. The Ravens were 4-10 with the loss and the Tigers 7-8.

Baseball was a seesaw contest with the Tigers landing on top 14-7. Hillcrest went up 2-0 with a run in each of their first two at-bats. New London’s three in the third put them in front by one. The Ravens regained the lead with two in the fifth at 4-3. Hillcrest couldn’t keep pace with five Tiger runs in the sixth and six more in the seventh. New London out hit the Ravens 12-8. Riley Raines and Branz Manning combined for five hits and six RBI in the Tiger order. Kye Reighard got the win, with three innings four hits, four earned runs, five walks and a strikeout. Raven standouts included two hits and two runs for Rowan Miller. Two knocked in each for Lawson Schrock and Kellen Miller. Beckett Miller and Danny Meyer each had an RBI. Lincoln Miller scored twice. Cohen Nachtigall took the loss, working two thirds of an inning with three hits, four earned runs and a strikeout. The Raven record was 5-4 after the loss, New London 2-11.

Ravens Sweep Away Warriors in 2026 via Mercy Rule in Area Softball Game of the Week – June 20, 2026 – SB
Article Credit: Brendan Schnoebelen/KCII

The Hillcrest Academy Raven softball team celebrated a season sweep of the WACO Warriors Friday as winners of a 15-2 final in the Area Softball Game of the Week.

WACO began the night with the game’s first run in the bottom of the first on an RBI single from Addison Alliman to take an early 1-0 lead into the second. From there, it was all Ravens, as Hillcrest began their scoring with a seven-spot in their half of the second. They sent 12 batters to the plate and came away with four hits in the frame. The Ravens added on three more in the third and five more in the fourth to put the pressure on the Warriors to come away with at least five runs in the bottom half of the fourth inning to keep the game alive. Even with a run plated by Sophia Schneider, WACO simply ran out of outs en route to Hillcrest picking up the sweep on one final strikeout from Hillcrest pitcher Lyla Genkinger.

Unofficially, Hillcrest won the game with 15 runs on 11 hits and no errors. WACO had two runs on three hits and two errors. The Ravens were led by Emma Parizek’s three-for-three night, all singles with two runs and two RBI. Genkinger pitched all four frames, allowing all WACO runs and hits, one earned, with three walks to five punchouts. The duo joined KCII Sports postgame to discuss the mercy rule victory, “I feel like we’re the ones who just keep getting beat and beat and beat, so I’m glad that we were able to finally show up and contribute. It’s such a relief because I’ve been struggling with my hitting this year, and to just be able to come out and get a hit every time, it was a real improvement,” Parizek said.

“It feels really good. Like she said, we were just getting beat and beat, so it feels really good to get a win,” Genkinger added.

WACO was led by three hits from Alliman, Ada Davison and Natalie Wagler. Brinley Conrad took the loss, throwing four innings and allowing all Hillcrest runs and hits, 10 earned, with five walks and no Ks. The win improves Hillcrest to 5-13, dropping WACO to 1-10.

Ravens Beaten at Pekin, Boys Split – June 22, 2026 – BSBL/SB
Article Credit: Zach Ulin/KCII

The Hillcrest Academy Boys salvaged a split and the Raven girls were beaten by Pekin in Packwood Tuesday. The boys win came in Tuesday’s nightcap by an 18-16 score. The Panthers lit up the scoreboard early, leading 8-1 after two. Hillcrest made it 8-3 in the third with a pair of runs, only for the home team to get breathing room with four in the bottom half, to go on top 12-3. Hillcrest started to hammer away at the deficit, batting around in an eight run fifth to climb within 12-11. The Panthers steadied the ship for a moment with two in the bottom of five, only to see the Ravens score seven runs combined in the sixth and seventh inning. Hillcrest out hit the Panthers 14-9, Lincoln Miller had a perfect night with four hits. Calvin Meller drove in three. Danny Meyer was the winner on the mound, going four innings with four hits, five earned runs and two strikeouts. Game one was an 11-1 Panther win. It was the Panther’s turn to go wire-to-wire, scoring three in the first, two more in the third, five in the fourth and another in the sixth. Pekin won the hit parade 6-2. Cal Miller was two for two and Alijah Brock had three RBI. Nolan Glick was the winning pitcher. Rylan Good and Meyer each had a Hillcrest hit. Lawson Schrock was the losing pitcher in four innings with six hits, six earned runs and two strikeouts. Raven baseball was 5-5 with the split, Pekin 9-1.

The girls game featured twists and turns and a Panther victory 8-7. Each team scored twice in the first, then two each for Hillcrest in the third and fourth. The Panthers reclaimed the lead after a run in the fifth and five more in the sixth. Hillcrest had eight hits in total, two for Lyla Genkinger with two RBI. Brynna Boshart, Isabelle Vigneron, and Claire Miller each drove in a run. Ella Mize had five innings with 10 hits, five earned runs and three strikeouts in the circle. The Panthers rise to 5-8 with the win, Hillcrest is 4-12.

Hillcrest hands Pekin first conference loss with dramatic comeback – BSBL
Article Credit: Cori Jobman/The News

An eight-run rally in the top of the fifth fueled a Hillcrest comeback Tuesday night, as the Ravens knocked off the division-leading Pekin Panthers 18-16 in game two of a doubleheader in Packwood.

After falling 11-1 in the first game, the second game appeared to be heading down a similar trajectory, as the Panthers led 8-1 through two innings.

Hillcrest showed a spark of life in the third, plating a pair, but the Ravens soared in the fifth, chasing starting pitcher Alijah Brock off the mound and dominating the Panther bullpen.

After plating four more in the sixth and three more in the seventh, Hillcrest took an 18-14 lead into the game’s final half-inning.

Pekin refused to go down easy, loading the bases and scoring a pair of runs off of Hillcrest’s Lincoln Miller. Despite battling a back injury, Rowan Miller took the mound with the game on the line.

“He said he had a few good pitches in him,” Hillcrest head coach Danny Hershberger said.

It only took Rowan one pitch.

He drew a popup, it found a Raven glove, and the ballgame was over.

“I was hoping it’d feel good enough to start tonight, but it wasn’t, so I’m glad it only took one pitch,” Rowan said.

Lincoln led the team’s offensive surge with four hits on the night, while Rowan had team highs with three runs and three RBIs.

“I’m really just trying to be consistent up there,” Lincoln said of his approach at the plate. “If something’s not working, you try to figure out what’s going wrong, listen to the coaches, and figure it out.”

The loss was Pekin’s first of the year in SEISC North division play.

Huskies Beat Hillcrest for First Time Since 2022, Hartzler Has First Varsity Win in Area Baseball Game of the Week- June 23, 2026 – BSBL/SB
Article Credit: Brendan Schnoebelen

In a pivotal Southeast Iowa Superconference North division baseball matchup, it was the Highland Huskies that emerged victorious over the Hillcrest Academy Ravens for the first time since the 2022 season in the Area Baseball Game of the Week.

Highland started the scoring, and hitting, early in their half of the first with a four-spot to take a 4-0 lead on four hits. Hillcrest would answer in the bottom half with a Rowan Miller score to make it 4-1. The sides would go scoreless in the second, but scoring would resume in the third with an RBI double by Kyler Fink in the top half and a two-RBI single by Raven first baseman Rylan Good in the bottom half to make the score 5-3. From there, Highland paced the rest of the outing with a run in the fifth and seventh to come away with the key conference win.

Unofficially, Highland won the game with seven runs on 10 hits and two errors. Hillcrest had three runs on four hits and four errors. Bryce Hazelett led Highland with three hits, all singles, an RBI and two runs. Hunter Seibel brought in two on one single. Noah Hartzler pitched his first career complete game winner, allowing all Hillcrest runs and hits, two earned, with three walks and two strikeouts. Hartzler joined KCII Sports postgame to share his emotion on the night, “I mean, I was really excited and like I said, ‘I’ve got to come out here and make this a really good game.’ My dad went to this school, and that’s why I said I’ve got to come out here and make this one of my best games that I’ve ever thrown. I mean, this win means a lot because we’ve been wanting to beat Hillcrest for a long time, and I think it gives us a lot of confidence for games forward in this year, and I think it’ll give us a lot of confidence for when we play Pekin.”

Lawson Schrock provided the loudest hit of the night for the Ravens with a double. Taking the loss was Beckett Miller, who threw the first two-and-two-thirds innings, and allowing the first five Highland runs, all earned, on their first seven hits, with three walks to a pair of punchouts. Danny Meyer pitched the final four-and-a-third innings, allowing the final two Huskie runs, none earned, on their final three hits, with two walks to two Ks. The win keeps Highland in a first place tie with Pekin in the Superconference North, and moves the Huskies to 8-7 overall. Hillcrest drops to 7-6.

Ravens Race Away From Wildcats in Area Softball Game of the Week – June 24, 2026 – SB
Article Credit: Brendan Schnoebelen/KCII

The Hillcrest Academy Raven softball team nabbed their second win over the Columbus Wildcats Tuesday in a 11-1 mercy rule final in the Area Softball Game of the Week.

Hillcrest started the night off right with a three-spot in the first, followed by their biggest inning of the night in the 2nd with five runs to quickly race away from the Wildcats 8-0. With an additional run in the third and after a scoreless fourth, Columbus headed into the fifth facing a potential early exit. The Ravens plated two more runs to their lead before Columbus got to the bats in the bottom half, and even after an RBI single by Iris Garza, it would not be enough, as Hillcrest earned the win and the season sweep of the Wildcats.

Unofficially, Hillcrest won the game with 11 runs on nine hits and no errors. Columbus had one run by Ellie Sanders on five hits and one error. Lyla Genkinger, Emma Parizek and Isabelle Vigneron had two hits each for Hillcrest to lead. Genkinger got the win in the circle, throwing the first two frames and allowing no runs on one hit, with two walks and no strikeouts. Ella Mize came in in relief of Genkinger, completing the final three innings and allowing one earned run on four hits, with no walks and three punchouts. Kaylee McCullough led Columbus with a two-for-three night at the dish. Ivy Dennler took the loss, throwing five complete and allowing 11 runs, eight earned, on nine hits, with one walk and one K.

Hillcrest head coach Kent Blossom joined KCII Sports live on the Area Softball Game of the Week postgame show to discuss what he liked out of his team in the win, “You know, we’ve been in tight ball games all throughout the season, and that’s something that we want to see more often in those types of games and those type of situations. It’s been difficult for us to score runs, and so to see that kind of execution on that type of play is really exciting.”

The win moves Hillcrest to 6-14, dropping Columbus to 1-17.

Ravens Beat Indians, Lose to Arrows – June 25, 2026 – BSBL/SB
Article Credit: Connor Harbit/KCII

It was a Southeast Iowa Superconference split for the Hillcrest Academy Raven baseball and softball teams hosting Wapello. The Raven boys held on for a 6-5 win. The Raven offense struck for one in the first, three in the fourth and two more in the fifth to build a 6-0 lead. That advantage would be tested as the Indians pushed across five in the seventh before the Ravens got the final out to escape with the win. Wapello out hit Hillcrest 6-3. Lincoln Miller had two RBI, Rowan Miller two hits and two runs, Calvin Meller scored twice and drove in one. Ethan Yoder was the winner with six and a third thrown, four hits, five earned runs and seven strikeouts. Kellen Miller got the final two outs for the save. Grayson Nagle had two hits for Wapello and Wyatt Marlette drove in two. Hillcrest went to 7-5 with the win, Wapello 1-10.

The girls contest went Wapello’s way 7-2. The Arrows got on the board first with a run in the first and fourth to go up 2-0. The Ravens drew level with two in the fourth. Things stayed that way until Wapello broke through with a five run sixth to score the win. The Arrows out hit the Ravens 11-3. Quinn Zweibohmer had four RBI on two hits. She also threw a complete game win with no earned runs and 15 strikeouts. Brynna Boshart had a triple with two RBI for Hillcrest and Ellza Mize and Lyla Genkinger each added a hit. Isabelle Vigneron and Ella Mize each scored a run. Genkinger threw all seven innings with six earned and three strikeouts. The Arrows are 7-7 this year and Hillcrest is 4-13.