Defending 3A champ Highland routs O’Fallon in non-conference battle
The Highland Lady Bulldogs softball team again got a big mid-game boost from their bats to finish off an opponent.
The Lady Bulldogs, who beat Collinsville 11-3 with a middle inning surge Monday, March 14, two days later exploded for four runs in the third inning and five in the fourth inning, rolling to an 11-1 six-inning victory over O’Fallon on Wednesday, March 16, at the Milburn Campus.
HHS (2-0) got a huge jolt from Brianna Habermehl and Kelly Fuller as they blasted back to back two-run homers while Sophie Parkerson ripped a solo homer to power the Lady Bulldogs’ 11-hit onslaught.
“All these girls are returning players that are going deep here. They’ve got a whole year of varsity experience under their belts and now I don’t think the spotlight’s as bright as it was last year for them,” Highland coach Glen Nicholls said. “This is awesome to see the bats coming alive as they did.”
Both teams struggled the first two frames as Highland hurler Sophia Donoho and O’Fallon starter Rylee Branon were sharp.
Highland began figuring Branon out in the third, however, as Hamermehl and Fuller both went yard with two-run homers, pushing the HHS to a 4-0 lead.
In the fourth, Highland added five more runs. Parkerson started the rally with a solo blast over the left-field fence to make it 5-0. Maci Miles singled home a run and Emma Strubinger, Fuller, and Maggie Grohmann followed with RBI hits for a 9-0 bulge.
“We beat them (O’Fallon) twice last year, so you know they’re coming out hungry and they wanted us, but I thought our girls jumped on them pretty good and it was over (at that point),” Nicholls said. “It was huge (to get those). She’s (Donoho) got to go out there (pitching) and feeling a lot more comfortable after that.”
HHS extended the lead to 10-0 on an RBI groundout from Habermehl.
O’Fallon spoiled Donoho’s shutout bid in the bottom of the fifth when Maya Robison tripled and scored off a throwing error at third base.
Highland got that run back in the top of the sixth as Maddie Trauernicht’s grounder to third plated Karli Dant, making it 11-1.
Donoho finished the Panthers off in the sixth and got her second win of the season, surrendering just five hits while striking out eight and walking four.
“My pitcher going out there as a sophomore, she’s got good movement (on her pitches) and she hits her spots most of the time. She had probably close to 120 pitches at the end, but she wants the ball and I thought I would give her the complete game,” Nicholls said.
Promising start to season
Although the season is very young, Nicholls is pleased with what the defending Class 3A champions have shown so far.
“We’re happy with what we have here at the varsity level and the girls are really working hard and I really like what I’m seeing out of the whole team — pitching, defense, and those bats,” Nicholls said.
The Lady Bulldogs are scheduled to face Rock Island at 4:30 p.m. Friday, March 18, in their 2022 home opener.
This story was originally published March 16, 2022 at 9:18 PM.