Highland baseball falters late in Mississippi Valley Conference loss to rival Triad

For five innings, the Highland baseball Bulldogs had the Triad Knights right where they wanted them.

However, in the final two innings, what looked like a potential shutout win, turned into a big letdown.

Down two runs, the Knights collected three tallies in the top of sixth on RBI-hits from Jake Radosovich and Wyatt Bugger and then added two runs in the top of the seventh to rally for a 5-2 win over Mississippi Valley Conference archrival Highland on Tuesday, May 2, at Glik Park in Highland.

It was a tough setback for Highland as coach Joel Hawkins watched his club let a winnable game slip away against the MVC conference leaders.

“We threw them ball four enough times and we missed a ball in right field and we missed a couple of balls on the left side over there ... when you give a team with their offensive capability that many chances, it does make (winning against them) difficult,” Hawkins said. “We did not play well and it reminds me a lot of the O’Fallon game; there were a lot of plays we could have made but didn’t, so it’s a bad loss.”

Highland (16-7, 3-3) grabbed the early lead in the bottom of the first when Matt Miscik doubled to left center, chasing home Luke Darling to make it 1-0.

The Bulldogs had a chance to add more runs in the bottom of the third, but Triad starter Connor Bain struck out Aiden Duft to wiggle out of a bases-loaded jam.

“We had great opportunities and one of the things the boys just mentioned to me is that we didn’t put the ball in play in those situations,” Hawkins said. “The difference was when they put the ball in play we kicked it.”

In the bottom of the fourth, Highland added another run as Grant Fleming led off with a walk and later scored on a bases-loaded free pass to Jale Ottensmeier, extending the lead to 2-0.

Meanwhile, Miscik, the Highland starter, continued to keep the Knights scoreless through the fifth inning.

Knights surge ahead

Triad’s patient hitting attack finally got to Miscik in the sixth as Radosevich singled home John Rea, cutting the lead to 2-1. Nic Funk and Carter Vandever struck out before Bulldogs righthander Blaise Pearson relieved Miscik with two out.

Brady Coon, however, reached on an error to load the bases and then Bugger laced a two-run single to right field, vaulting the Knights ahead 3-2.

Hawkins knew the Bulldogs had flirted with danger one too many times by then.

“Matt did a really nice job of missing bats for a while, but, again, there were too many deep counts and with four outs to go he had to come out and that kind of set everything up (for them),” Hawkins said.

Triad extends lead, reliever shuts down HHS

Triad (20-4, 5-1) added a pair of insurance runs in the top of the seventh on an RBI triple by Rea and a run-scoring single from Radosevich, stretching the lead to 5-2.

Coon, who relieved Bain in the bottom of the fifth, retired HHS in order in the bottom of the seventh to slam the door.