The WACO Warrior softball team will be looking to end the month of May on a high note tonight as they welcome the Hillcrest Academy Ravens to Wayland in a game you can hear on the KCII3 Stream.

WACO is 0-3 on the season after a loss in Columbus Junction to the Wildcats last night at a 13-0 final score in four innings. Carlee Lunsford led the way with the bat on a 2/2 night with a pair of singles. Savannah Harris took her second career loss in the circle, tossing three-and-a-third innings, allowing 13 runs on five hits, eight earned, four walks and two strikeouts. This season, the Warriors have scored two runs on five hits, two RBI and have walked six times. Mei Leichty and Madelyn Farmer tallied the pair of RBI in a 17-2 loss at Winfield-Mt. Union/New London Wednesday. Harris has started two games this season for the Warriors, allowing 23 runs on 11 hits, 16 earned, 14 walks and three punchouts. WACO co-head coaches Dominique Tolle and Michelle Wade joined KCII Sports live on the Area Game of the Week postgame show last night after the loss to Columbus to preview the matchup with the Ravens and how they want their players to prepare.

“It’s been a long week. We talked about how we’re still seeing growth even though we’re worn out,” Tolle said. “We’re still seeing that growth and making strides and seeing the good things happening, so push through one more day and we’ll just see what we’ve got tomorrow.”

“We know it’s been a long week. They’ve survived and they’re doing great,” Wade said.

The Ravens of Hillcrest Academy will be featured on the KCII3 Stream for the first time in 2025 this evening. The Ravens began their week on Tuesday with a 13-8 road win at Pekin. Fireworks arrived early in the season for Hillcrest when senior Delaney Shaw saw her lone hit go yard. Senior teammate Malia Yoder was a homer shy of the cycle in her 3/5 hitting performance to go along with a win in the circle. Yoder allowed eight runs on nine hits, two earned, three walks and eight punchouts. In 631 at bats last season, the Ravens scored 187 runs on 191 hits, knocking in 145, with a .303 average, .411 OPB and .409 slug. In the circle, Hillcrest compiled an 11-13 record after pitching 139 and two-thirds innings, allowing 204 runs on 165 hits, 108 walks, 174 strikeouts, an ERA of 5.01 and WHIP of 1.95. Opponents batted .215 against them. Hillcrest head coach Kent Blossom tells KCII Sports that he is looking to his stout group of upperclassmen for team leadership.

“It certainly is a good feeling to have a good core senior leadership group with our battery of Malia Yoder [pitching] and Delaney Shaw catching for her,” Blossom said. “Other seniors, you think of Morgyn Nafziger at the leadoff position, Claire Withrow, Stavia Miller, Lydia Beachy, Kylee Statler, Erin Bontrager. We’re going to look to them to really build that leadership perspective for our program.”

In the Varsity Bound era, WACO leads the all-time series with the Ravens 10-8 dating back to 2009. Hillcrest has taken the three most recent contests.

You can hear tonight’s SEISC softball matchup between Hillcrest Academy and WACO streaming online at KCIIRadio.com on the KCII3 Stream and on the new KCII3 App, beginning with pregame coverage at 6:30, and first pitch between the Ravens and Warriors to follow at 7 from Dick Wagner Field in Wayland.