The Hillcrest Academy softball team hit the road to Danville for their 2023 season opener last night. A combination of dominant pitching and timely hits resulted in a 10-1 win over the Bears.

After the first two Raven hitters were retired to lead off the game, a double off the bat of Delaney Shaw followed by an RBI single from Kylee Statler gave Hillcrest the early edge. Statler wasn’t done, plating two more runners in the third and scoring twice in the contest en route to a 3-5 evening at the plate. Doubles in two straight plate appearances helped Malia Yoder drive in three runs of her own, tying Statler with the game high. The bats were alive all night for the Ravens, who saw seven players record a hit, and all nine starters reach base safely at least once.

Head Coach, Kent Blossom, was pleased with his team’s performance at the plate. “I thought our plate presence was really good tonight. We weren’t really chasing a whole lot of balls outside of the strike zone, and we were simply looking for good pitches to hit.”

Ten runs would prove to be more than enough support for Yoder, who shined in the pitcher’s circle. Pitching all seven innings for Hillcrest, she struck out 13 Danville hitters, walked three, and allowed just one hit while earning her first career win. Blossom was impressed with Yoder’s location, telling KCII, “Coming in we were having an approach of trying to hit the corners and not giving them good pitches to hit. Malia was really working the zone pretty well. Her rise ball was certainly doing its job with getting out of the zone late and the screwball that was also doing the same thing.”

Danville’s Hayden Mutchler was charged with the loss, allowing all 10 runs in five innings pitched. Freshman Graci Huff tossed two scoreless innings in relief for the Bears, who dropped to 0-2.

With the win, Hillcrest Academy begins the season 1-0 for the first time since 2011. They look to build off the victory tonight as they travel to Louisa-Muscatine.