The Hillcrest Academy Raven baseball and softball teams continue a busy stretch of their schedule tonight with a pair of home contests against Mediapolis. The Raven boys are unbeaten on the young campaign at 5-0, following a 4-2 win over Winfield-Mt. Union Friday in Kalona, where Rowan Miller had two hits and three driven in with Phoenix Anderson recording the win, and Luke Schrock the save. This season, Hillcrest is hitting .427 as a team with 70 runs on 53 hits. Schrock is sizzling with a .706 average, 13 runs scored and 12 hits, all team highs. Miller’s 15 RBI are best. Three Ravens are hitting .500 or better and five .400 or better. The Raven staff has a miniscule 0.81 ERA in 26 innings, with a .215 opponent batting average, 20 hits, three earned runs, six walks and 25Ks so far. Seth Ours and Anderson are both 2-0 this year with ERAs under one.
Mediapolis is 4-4 this season, 2-2 in the Superconference. They have lost three straight entering tonight including a 2-1 Friday loss to Van Buren. On the season, the Bulldogs are hitting .293 as a group, with Grady Gunn at .423 with 11 hits, both best on the team. Lance Ludens has a team high 12 runs scored and eight RBI. The MEPO pitching staff is their strong suit, with a collective ERA of 2.12 in 43 innings of work. Opponents hit just .204 against them with 41 hits, 13 earned runs, 17 walks and 40 punch outs. Ludens is the leader there as well at 3-0 with 12 innings of work and a 1.17 ERA. Mediapolis has won 17 of the last 24 in the series including a doubleheader sweep in 2022, 11-2 and 7-3. The Ravens last win came in 2019. Action starts tonight at 5:30 in Kalona, you can hear the game live on AM 1380, FM 102.5 and KCIIradio.com, beginning with the Jessica Yoder and Sarah Bigley with Lepic Kroeger Realtors Pregame Show at 5p.m.
The Hillcrest girls are 3-2 on the year after a 16-12 slugfest victory Friday over Winfield-Mt. Union in Kalona. The Ravens are hitting .308 collectively with 42 runs on 35 hits. Kylee Statler leads the way with a .500 average and seven RBI. She is one of four Ravens over .400 in the lineup. Malia Yoder has gone the distance in the circle with a 3-2 record and 6.89 ERA.
Mediapolis is also 3-2 on the year, coming off of a 2-1 loss to Van Buren Friday. The Bullettes are hitting .255 as a team with 37 runs on 28 hits. Charlotte Mohr has a .571 average to lead the way. Avalynn Prall and Anna Ford have each scored five times and Ford and Avery Bandy have five RBI. Maddy Carter has done all of the MEPO pitching this summer, holding a 3-2 record and 2.07 ERA in 27 innings with a .202 average, 21 hits, eight earned runs, 11 walks and 21 Ks. Mediapolis has won 22 of the last 29 in the series. The two teams have split the last six, including the two contests a season ago with MEPO winning 11-1 and Hillcrest 10-9.