In the early season, no one has been able to slow down the Hillcrest Academy Raven baseball team. The latest Raven victim was the Pekin Panthers, who lasted just four innings Tuesday against Hillcrest in a 17-2 Raven rout. For all intents and purposes, the game was over after the first, Pekin was turned away scoreless, as Hillcrest scored 11 times in the bottom half. Pekin put up one run in each of the second and third frames while Hillcrest just kept adding on, two more in the second, three more in the third and another tally in the fourth went on the board for the Ravens. In all, Hillcrest pounded out 17 runs on 11 hits, three of those for extra bases, drawing eight walks, were hit by three pitches and capitalized on a pair of Pekin errors.

All nine in the Raven starting lineup scored at least one run, eight of the nine had at least one RBI. Seth Ours was three for three with three driven in and two runs scored. Luke Schrock added three knocks, drove in a pair and scored three times. Josiah Beachy had two RBI on a hit and scored twice. Liam Schrock also had two hits, three runs scored and an RBI. Beachy was the winner on the mound with four frames of work, allowing five hits, two runs, one earned, one walk and six Ks for his first victory of the year. Through three games, the Ravens have played just 14 total innings, winning each contest by the mercy rule and a combined 52-5 margin. Hillcrest is back on the diamond tonight with a road trip to Wapello.