The veteran presence was strong for Hillcrest Academy last night as Raven baseball soared past Highland 12-0 on Senior Night.
Hillcrest’s four seniors went out with a bang at the plate, each recording at least one hit. Grant Bender had arguably his best offensive performance as a Raven, launching a three-run home run in the first, and following it up with another the very next inning. He led all players with six RBI’s, scoring twice as well. Jace Rempel added an RBI of his own, as fellow seniors Luke Schrock and Josiah Beachy both finished 1-2 at the dish.
Schrock excelled on the mound, pitching five innings of shutout baseball, allowing just two hits and striking out four. Highland failed to see a base-runner reach second all night, as the Raven defense delivered another error-free outing.
Highland seniors Ethan Paisley and Peyton Yeggy were responsible for the two Husky hits. Utilizing three pitchers during the game, Highland saw the most production from fellow senior Tyler Thompson. Thompson tamed the Hillcrest bats, allowing just two hits and one run in three innings of work. With the loss, Highland dropped to 9-11 on the year, with five games remaining in their regular season. They host Lone Tree tonight.
Following the victory, Hillcrest not only notched their 17th win of the year, but also clinched the Southeast Iowa Super Conference North title. It is the first for the Ravens since 2009, when head coach Danny Hershberger wore the uniform as a player. Hillcrest wraps up their regular season tomorrow with Prince of Peace.