Hillcrest had lost three straight at home, but on Thursday they dropped down to 4-10 to make it four. They lost 13-1 to the Excel Panthers. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Panthers this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 22-0 on Thursday.
As for Excel, the win (which was their ninth in a row) raised their record to 14-2. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.1 runs on average over those games.
For Excel's part, Holden Stacey made a splash no matter where he played. He tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Stacey has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in four consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
In other batting news, Trent Williams was incredible, going 1-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base. Another player making a difference was Mason McKinley, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs and one RBI.
Hillcrest will get a bit of extra time to process the loss as their next game is a ways off. They'll take on Monroe County at 4:00 p.m. on the 31st. As for Excel, they are taking a road trip to challenge Saraland at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
