The KCII Area Game of the Week returns to Kalona for the second time in three days for a dual on the baseball diamond between Hillcrest Academy and Winfield-Mt. Union/Columbus

At 7-2, the Ravens sit atop the Super Conference, but by a slim margin. After dropping their second game of the season to Mediapolis Monday, Hillcrest got back in the winner’s circle last night, blanking New London 11-0. A two-run homer for Liam Schrock walked it off for the Ravens, earning Rowan Miller the no-hitter in five innings. Miller also had a team-high three RBIs while Mason Helmuth and Phoenix Anderson each knocked in two. Miller, Helmuth, and Anderson join Seth Ours hitting above .350 this season with at least eight runs batted in. Combined, the Ravens are hitting .262 averaging more than seven hits and eight runs per game. Ours and Anderson have led the pitching staff to a stifling 1.89 ERA in just under 60 innings. Aiming to repeat as champions of the North, Hillcrest has Pekin and Highland right on their heels in the standings. 

WMU is right in the mix as well, riding a three-game winning streak into Kalona. The Wolves got the best of Danville 8-3 last night, following close wins over Highland and Van Buren County. In their second nine-inning game of the season, Winfield surrendered a five-run lead to the Warriors before scoring two in extras. Riley Kaalberg knocked in a run on one of his two hits, while Lane Genkinger drove in three. The pitching duo of Cael and Trevor Phillips allowed no earned runs, and together fanned 12. As the offense starts to come around for the Wolves, the team average continues to climb, currently sitting at .241. WMU’s collective ERA has improved in the last week as well to 3.97. Opponents are hitting just .193 against a staff that has utilized six players. These two teams met in Winfield on opening day, with the Ravens winning 11-7 to make it 12 straight over the Wolves. The last WMU win came in 2016. 

You can hear these two teams fight for conference positioning on the KCII3 Stream, found only at KCIIradio.com. The Roder Epoxy Pregame Show begins tonight at 5 p.m. followed by first pitch between the Ravens and Wolves at 5:30.