Highland softball clinches MVC championship with come-from-behind win at Triad
A slow start and an early 3-0 deficit against Triad threatened to derail the Highland softball team’s chance to clinch the Mississippi Valley Conference Championship on Tuesday, May 17, at Triad High School.
Enter Sophie Parkerson and Maggie Grohmann. Down 3-2 In the top of the fourth inning, Parkerson dropped down a bunt between first and second to chase home two runs. Then, in the top of the seventh, Grohmann slapped an RBI-single to left field to key a two-run surge, helping the Bulldogs post a rousing 6-3 road win to clinch the MVC championship.
Defending IHSA Class 3A champ Highland — which lost 4-3 to Mount Vernon at home the day prior — improved to 16-9 overall and 8-1 in MVC play while securing its second-straight league crown. The outcome also allowed the Lady Bulldogs to sweep the season series from their arch rivals, having previously posted an 11-3 win at home April 21.
Overall, it was a sweet moment for Grohmann and her Lady Bulldogs teammates given the grind of the 2022 regular season.
“We knew, obviously, if we won this we were gonna be the conference champs and we were already bumped down to the three seed (for regionals) so I think that was a really big motivation,” Grohmann said. “I think that’s huge (that we were able to win it) and this year winning the conference for us is big. Really big.”
Triad (17-10, 6-4) broke on top in the bottom of the third with three runs off Highland starter Sophia Donoho. Sam Jarman and Ali Grenzenbach ripped back-to-back run-scoring doubles, providing the big blows in the inning.
Highland promptly answered in the fourth as Emma Strubinger doubled home a run and then Ally Koerkenmeier followed with a run-scoring double to left field to cut the gap to 3-2.
Then, Parkerson laid in a perfectly placed dink bunt between first and second base, chasing home two runs to put HHS in front 4-3.
“The small ball was huge there,” Highland coach Glen Nicholls said. “Parkerson, with that push bunt there, scored two runs and that was a big play there.”
From there, Donoho settled down in the circle and kept the Knights off-balance as she left eight Triad runners stranded through her seven innings of work. In picking up her 13th win of the season, Donoho struck out nine and walked two while scattering 10 hits.
“She really bore down (and pitched well),” Nicholls said. “She really did.”
Highland adds 2 big tallies
In the seventh, the Lady Bulldogs plated a pair of insurance runs. Grohmann got the two-run rally started with a one-out RBI-single past the third baseman.
“At that point, I was just worried about my ankle (holding up) Grohmann joked. “As long as I can hit it and I can just jog to first, I was fine with that and I did. It was good to get that (run) there.”
“She (Grohmann) was hitting the ball well all game and I was glad to see her finally get one through (the infield),” Nicholls said.
Several key contributors for HHS
The RBI hit capped off a 3-for-4 day for Grohmann with a pair of doubles. Koerkenmeier and Strubinger also had big days at the plate with two hits each and Strubinger drove in a pair of runs as well.
“All in all it was a good ballgame (for us),” Nicholls said.
The Lady Bulldogs open the IHSA Class 3A postseason Wednesday, May 25, at home against Centralia.
This story was originally published May 18, 2022 at 10:57 AM.