The Skyview Hawks will be taking part in a tournament against the Hillcrest Knights at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with Skyview sitting on three straight victories and Hillcrest on five.
Skyview picked up another tournament win on Friday. They came out on top against Lewiston by a score of 5-1.
Tyler Russell made a splash no matter where he played. He tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Russell was also big at the plate, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with one run.
In other batting news, Aaron Vavold was excellent, going a perfect 1-for-1 with one triple, one run, and one RBI. That triple was his first of the season.
While Hillcrest didn't have the best season last year (they finished 8-16), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They skirted past Meridian 4-2.
Gavin Kent spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned (and one unearned) run on four hits.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Oaklen Lawrence, who went 2-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one RBI. He has become a key player for Hillcrest: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 1-2 otherwise.
Skyview's record is now 4-2. As for Hillcrest, their record now sits at 5-2.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Saturday as neither team is afraid to steal. Skyview has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.2 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Hillcrest struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 2.7 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Everything went Skyview's way against Hillcrest in their previous meeting back in March of 2023, as Skyview made off with a 14-0 win. Will the Hawks repeat their success, or do the Knights have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
