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Ravens take down No. 2 Savages
Hillcrest Academy holds off Sigourney for 1A upset
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
SIGOURNEY — Hillcrest Academy pulled off one of the biggest upsets across the state on Saturday night, taking down No. 2-ranked Sigourney 5-4 in the Class 1A District 5 final.
The Ravens (16-7) and Savages (22-4) each scored a run in the first inning, but a three-run burst by Hillcrest in the second gave them a 4-1 lead, a lead they would never relinquish.
Anchored by stellar defense and a gritty performance from ace Seth Ours, Hillcrest made key plays throughout. Ours escaped a jam in the second inning with runners on second and third by recording a clutch strikeout. In the third, the Ravens retired the side in order, building momentum on both sides of the ball.
“I knew coming in that they were one of the best hitting teams in 1A,” Ours said. “I just tried to stick with what I know, which is pitching to contact, which can be a scary thing with a good hitting team, but my team has done a great job back me up. It’s always great playing behind a strong defense.”
Neither team scored in the third or fourth innings, but the action picked up in the fifth.
Hillcrest appeared ready to blow the game open after back-to-back walks to start the top half of the fifth. However, a sharp double play from third to first gave Sigourney the upper hand — until Rylan Good stepped up.
The sophomore came through with a well-placed single that scored Liam Schrock from second, pushing the lead to 5-1. That run proved to be the difference-maker.
But Sigourney, known as one of the top-hitting teams in 1A all season, wasn’t going down quietly.
Caden Clarahan, who had already homered earlier in the game, nearly went deep again in the bottom of the fifth but settled for an RBI single to cut the lead to 5-2. Then Isaac Bruns crushed a two-run homer to suddenly make it a one-run game, 5-4.
From there, Hillcrest leaned on its defense. The Ravens managed just one hit in the final two innings, but their defense limited Sigourney to two hits over the same stretch.
Rowan Miller took over in the seventh and delivered under pressure. He retired the first two batters, gave up a hit, and then induced a pop fly to end the game.
“Just really excited for our guys,” Hillcrest Academy head coach Danny Hershberger said. “They’ve worked really hard to have an opportunity like this and to see them have success it great. We have a lot of seniors, a bunch of guys with a lot of experience. Really proud of them.”
Seth Ours led Hillcrest Academy with two hits and two RBIs in the win. Rylan Good had two hits and an RBI as well. Lincoln Miller also had two hits. Rowan Miller finished with one RBI.
On the hill, Ours pitched six innings, giving up six hits, four runs (four earned) with three strikeouts. Miller came in the seventh and gave up one hit.
Hillcrest Academy will now play Pekin for a state tournament bid.
