The Hillcrest Ravens flocked to Lone Tree for a SEISC-North doubleheader on Friday, June 9. The Ravens would take each game, meticulously pecking apart the Lions in each facet of the game, from offense to fielding and of course, the pitching. 

The Ravens won game one 10-0 on the heel of a Rowan Miller no-hitter. Miller walked three batters and hit another, but still did not allow a hit in five full innings. Miller struck out 11 batters and had a WHIP of .60. 

It was Miller’s first-ever start in a Ravens uniform. Last year as an eighth grader, Miller took the mound four times in relief of others, pitching five and two third innings.

“[I’m] really proud of him. It was his first start of the year and to come out and just throw strikes the way he did, he did a great job of making them hit the ball,” head coach Danny Hershberger said. “Just really proud of his performance to get that no-hitter, which is a really good job by him.”

Game one saw the Ravens take a swift 4-0 lead after two, 5-0 after three, adding on another five in the fifth inning to end it 10-0.

In game two, the bats awoke for the Ravens, outscoring the Lions 18-0, scoring 16 in the very first frame. They added two more in the third and the game ended by mercy rule after the fourth inning. 

Sophomore Seth Ours didn’t need to be perfect yet was virtually so, pitching four flawless innings, striking out six and only seeing one base runner, a single by Lone Tree’s Ethan Bockelman in the first inning. Ours made quick work on the mound, needing just 51 pitches in his outing. 

“Seth had another great outing for us. He threw strikes, he was able to throw his off-speed strikes as well,” Hershberger said. “When he’s on the mound, we’re confident in what he’s going to do, we’re confident that we can back him up and play some good defense. We are excited about the way our pitching staff is working so far.”

Senior Grant Bender brought the energy, driving in a grand slam in the bottom of the first (Ravens took part as the home team in game two). Bender followed that up with a triple, racing hard to third and just beating the throw, his second hit in the first inning. 

Ours wasn’t just brilliant on the mound. He contributed to the run game as well. In his second at-bat in the first inning, he slapped a shot to deep right field that just went foul. It was primed to be a 3-run-homerun if his swing was a tad more on time. He followed the miscue with an RBI single. 

The first out came when Hillcrest already had an 11-0 lead. It was a fielder’s choice to catch sophomore Mason Bender at first base then to test fate with a throw home with senior Jace Rempel stampeding. Rempel would score, giving the Ravens a 12-0 lead.

The Lions dropped a would-be out number three in foul territory. The Ravens would punish this error with the final two runs of the inning, a two RBI single by Ours with his third at-bat of the inning. This gave the Ravens a deafening 16-0 lead.

Lone Tree senior Drew Gauley pitched the first inning, but after the score was 9-0, junior Dominic Graap came in his relief. Graap would pitch until the bottom of the third, replaced by eighth grader Owen Eden who finished the game. Graap was pulled after an Ours two-run-homerun which rounded out the Ravens onslaught.

Eight Ravens registered a hit in this game. Four Ravens had multi-RBI games, Mason Bender (2), Rempel (4), Grant Bender (5) and Ours (6). Senior Josiah Beachy, despite not gaining a hit, walked twice, scoring each time. Hershberger thought the Ravens started slow in game one and their late scoring translated well for game two, seeing a more patient and deliberate attack at the plate.

Ours registered the win and now has a season ERA of .50, a remarkably low number for the sophomore.

After the two statement wins, the Ravens moved to 9-1 on the year, their only loss coming to Van Buren County. Last year, the Ravens finished 12-11. With most of the team returning from a year ago, they’re taking the necessary steps in hopes of a deep playoff push.

They’ll have a very packed week four, playing every day from Monday, June 12 to Saturday, June 17 before a well-deserved break on Sunday. Luckily for Hillcrest, four of the six days will be spent at home, and it will be a great time for the Ravens to continue their groove and keep the wins rolling in. No one this upcoming week poses a threat to the Ravens record, each of the seven teams slated to play Hillcrest play below .500. 

Look for the Ravens to continue flying high.