Hillcrest’s baseball team got back to its winning ways recently after suffering its first loss in over a month March 28 against Frisco Emerson.
The Panthers have rebounded to win five games in a row, including a sweep of South Oak Cliff that kept Hillcrest perfect in District 13-5A action at 8-0 with four games remaining in the regular season.
Following the wins over South Oak Cliff, the Panthers were dominant in picking up non-district wins over Newman Smith (9-1), Keller Central (5-3) and Palmer (2-0).
Pitching was the key in the Panthers wins over Palmer with starter Jayden Pescador in peak form.
The junior hurler went the distance on the bump to pick up the win, allowing just one single while racking up 14 strikeouts with no walks in a complete game performance.
Pescador also chipped in two hits and an RBI at the plate, while Julio Longa had two hits and a run scored and Jean Pierre Paternina had a single and scored.
On April 10, Hillcrest claimed a 4-0 lead before holding off Central for a 5-3 victory.
Sophomore Diego Wong started and threw six innings for the Panthers, allowing three runs (one earned) on six hits with eight strikeouts before giving way to Joshua Pepper for a scoreless save.
At the plate, Longa went 2-for-3 with two RBIs, while Carlos Salazar was 2-for-4 with a run scored and Elias Garcia drove in two.
Hillcrest also notched five stolen bases in the win, including two apiece from Pepper and Lincoln Hunter.
The Panthers will look to keep their perfect mark in 13-5A intact this week with games on the road Tuesday and home Friday against Dallas Thomas Jefferson before closing with a home-and-home series next week against Dallas Molina. Hillcrest also has one more non-district tuneup prior to the playoffs scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday at Carrollton Creekview.
Author
