Highland softball team punches ticket to IHSA Class 3A state tournament
The Highland Lady Bulldogs softball team is headed to the IHSA Class 3A state tournament.
Trailing 2-1 after five innings, the Lady Bulldogs retook the lead 3-2 on a two-run double from Macy Miles in the top of the sixth inning.
HHS then broke the game open with a five-run explosion in the top of the seventh inning as Maggie Grohmann, Sophie Parkerson, and Faith Hickam all clicked for RBI hits to push the Bulldogs to an 8-2 win over Chatham-Glenwood in a Class 3A super-sectional game Monday, June 14, at Roundhouse Sports Complex in Mattoon.
Highland will face Sterling High School at 10 a.m. Thursday, June 17, in a semifinal game at Louisville Slugger Sports Complex in Peoria. The championship game is slated for 2 p.m. Thursday.
Hickam had the big blow of the Lady Bulldogs seventh inning with a two-run triple, while Emma Strubinger added an RBI-hit in the frame. Sydney Parkerson helped the Lady Bulldogs get the early lead, ripping a solo homer in the top of the third frame for a 1-0 lead. Chatham erased that deficit with two runs in the bottom of the fourth to go ahead 2-1.
Miles’ clutch double in the sixth put Highland ahead to stay. Sam Miener led the way in the circle pitching for Highland, picking up her 19th complete game and improving to 22-0.
Chatham-Glenwood finished the season at 16-12.
Highland conquers MVC rival in sectional championship
Beating a team three times in a season is never an easy task — especially if the third matchup happens in the postseason.
On Thursday, June 10, Miener gave the Highland softball team the early energy they needed and Kelly Fuller provided the late clutch hit to keep the team’s postseason going into the next round.
Miener sacrificed a run home in the first inning and Fuller slapped a two-run single in the seventh inning, propelling HHS to a 3-0 win over Mississippi Valley Conference rival Waterloo in the sectional championship game at Waterloo High School.
Highland previously defeated Waterloo (17-11) twice in the regular season.
Highland defeats Marion in sectional semifinals
On Wednesday, June 9, the Lady Bulldogs started fast and never let previously unbeaten Marion get close as HHS rolled to a 5-1 sectional semifinal win at Marion High School in a game delayed a day by inclement weather.
Both teams went scoreless in the first inning before the Lady Bulldogs broke through in the top of the second thanks to Maddie Trauernicht’s big bat.
Miener led off with a double, then Grohmann walked and Trauernicht followed with a massive three-run homer to put Highland in front 3-0.
“She squared one up, and she’s been hitting the ball hard. It was good to see her go deep for her first home run of the season,” said Highland coach Glen Nicholls, whose team’s only loss came May 29 at Collinsville, 5-4. “To save it for the postseason is pretty awesome, and it wasn’t a cheap one either; it was a bomb way over the centerfield fence.”
Highland went scoreless the next three innings, but its defense and the shutdown pitching of senior ace Miener kept the Lady Wildcats in check.
HHS turned a double play and also flashed leather on a few other plays behind Miener.
“They (Marion) squared some balls up, and we caught some line drives, and we doubled a kid off first base for a really key double play. I think that was a big-time momentum killer as well,” Nicholls said.
The Lady Bulldogs effectively put the game away in the top of the sixth as Sydney Parkerson singled home a run, and, later in the frame, Miener scored on a sacrifice fly to push the lead to 5-1.
Highland hurler has big day at plate, earns another win
Miener, who went 2-for-3 at the plate, had her shutout bid broken in the bottom of the sixth as Karris Rhine smacked a solo home run.
“Marion was not 20-0 for no reason,” Nicholls said. “That team can play. They have a lot of good players on that team and they’re going to be a force over the next few years. There’s no doubt.”
Miener went the distance, allowing just four hits while striking out seven.
This story was originally published June 14, 2021 at 7:30 PM.