Juan Hillman pitches Olympia baseball into regional final

ORLANDO — Ace southpaw Juan Hillman pitched a complete game, striking out eight batters along the way, helping to lead the host Olympia Titans to a 3-1 win over Boone in the Class 8A Region 1 Semifinals.

Hillman allowed just three hits and had no walks in seven innings of work.

The contest had been a 1-1 tie until the bottom of the fifth inning, when Hillman and Drenis Ozuna each drove in a run to give Olympia (27-1) a lead it would not relinquish.

Later in the day, University (Orange City) went on the road and defeated Hagerty (Oviedo), 1-0, in the other 8A Region 1 Semifinal. As such, the Class 8A Region 1 Championship will be a "clash of the Titans," as the two schools with the same mascot will take the field in Orange City on May 12 at 4 p.m.

The winner of the regional final advances to the final four at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers.

Contact Steven Ryzewski at [email protected].