Bears Crowned Champions of Hillcrest Tournament

KALONA—On June 15, the English Valleys Bears made the trip to Kalona for the 2024 Hillcrest Academy Tournament. The Bears bested Holy Trinity Catholic to make the championship then bested the host team in Hillcrest Academy to hoist the trophy.

The Bears first victory was fueled by senior Kennedy Axmear, as she dominated from the mound with seven innings pitched, one earned run on three hits and 16 strikeouts. She also smacked her sixth home run of the season.

In the win over Hillcrest, Axmear went yard again and tallied her seventh home run of the season, which is tied for the third most in Class 1A.

The Bears bested the Ravens 6-2 behind another spectacular pitching performance from Kennedy Axmear, who pitched six innings with two earned runs on five hits and nine strikeouts.

The Bears wrapped up the week of play with an overall record of 12-2 and a conference record of 7-2.