Bulldogs win two of three games

The Highland baseball Bulldogs won two out of three games, capped off by hanging on for a 4-1 victory over Granite City on Monday at the annual game at GCS Ballpark in Sauget.

First, on Tuesday of last week, Highland beat up on visiting Salem in a 12-2 short game. Next, on Friday, the Bulldogs traveled to Columbia and were pinned with a 7-4 defeat by the host Eagles.

Highland (4-2) continued a busy week with three scheduled home games in as many days (weather permitting) at Glik Park, Tuesday against Mater Dei, Wednesday against Wesclin and Teutopolis on Thursday. Then on Saturday, the Bulldogs host both Stagg (10 a.m.) and Jacksonville (2 p.m.).

HHS 4, Granite City 1

The Bulldogs won despite being outhit 9-5 by the Warriors, who were their own worst enemy by leaving 13 runners stranded on base, while also committing seven errors on defense.

Granite City (2-8) ended the game with plenty of frustration after leaving the bases loaded in both the sixth and seventh innings.

Trent Jones pitched a good game for the Warriors. He went the distance and allowed just five hits and one walk while fanning seven. But in addition to receiving very little run support, Jones also was backed by a leaky defense, which committed six errors that resulted in all four of Highland’s runs being unearned.

Sophomore lefty Connor Pinsker had another solid outing for the Bulldogs. He tossed 4  2/3 scoreless innings to lift his spotless record at 3-0. He surrendered just four hits and one walk while whiffing five.

Senior first baseman Jordan Smith led Highland’s offense after going 2-for-3 with a double.

Granite City’s BJ Niesporek topped all hitters with three hits while his teammates, Matt Woods and Tyler Wheatley, each added two hits.

The Bulldogs were gifted with the only two runs they really needed in the second inning when seniors Chris Dickman and Jimmie Smith reached on back-to-back errors and then both came home to score on wild pitches.

Highland was given more help in tacking on an insurance run in the third. Sophomore Brock Troxell lined a one-out single to left field, stole second and went to third on an ensuing error before scoring on a sacrifice fly from fellow senior Mike McGill.

Granite City’s lone run came in the bottom of the sixth, but only after senior lefty Jimmie Smith issued back-to-back one-out walks to force in a run. But after gifting the Warriors their only tally, Smith bounced back to strike out the last two batters swinging.

The Bulldogs got the run right back in the top of the seventh, with more help from Granite City, as senior Griffin Welz led off by reaching on an error and scored on another error.

The Warriors loaded the bases against right-hander Jordan Smith with two outs in the home half of the seventh, but Smith induced a game-ending ground out.

Columbia 7, HHS 4

The Bulldogs christened the scoreboard with a single run in the game’s first at-bat. But unfortunately, that would be the only time HHS would hold the lead.

The Eagles had the answer in full, countering with a four-run home half of the first to seize control of the game.

Columbia tacked on an insurance tally in the third to make it 5-1 before Highland responded with a two-run top of the fourth to chop the deficit in half at 5-3.

The Eagles immediately answered back again with one run in the bottom half of the fourth to go back up by three runs and then added an insurance run in the sixth to make it 7-3.

The Bulldogs got their final tally in the seventh to close out the scoring.

Columbia outhit Highland 10-6 for the game.

The Bulldogs struck out 11 times while only drawing one walk and stealing just one base.

Dickman accounted for half of Highland’s hit total after going a perfect 3-for-3 with a double, one RBI and one run scored.

Getting one hit apiece for the Bulldogs were senior Will Greenwald (double, RBI), Jordan Smith (double, one run) and McGill (one run).

Senior Sam Greene was pinned with the loss after being tagged for five runs on six hits and one walk in just two innings of work.

McGill also struggled some, giving up two earned runs on three hits and three walks while striking out three.

Welz threw one scoreless inning of relief, with one hit and one strikeout.

HHS 12, Salem 2 (5 innings)

The Bulldogs pounced on the Wildcats for five runs in the first inning en route to mauling the Wildcats 12-2 in a game stopped after five innings due to the mercy rule. It was the third win in a row for Highland (3-1).

Highland collected a season-high 11 hits and took advantage of a porous Salem defense which committed a handful of errors.

After exploding for the five-spot in the first frame, the Bulldogs kept the odd-inning theme going by tacking on three more tallies in the third before bringing the game to an early conclusion with a four-run eruption in the fifth.

Welz and Greenwald rapped out two hits apiece. Welz and Jordan Smith (double) both knocked in a pair of runs, while Welz, Dickman and Troxell each scored twice.

Joining Smith with one hit apiece were Dickman (one RBI), Troxell (one RBI), senior Tyler Pollard (one RBI), junior Montana Gilbert (one RBI) and McGill and senior Trent Carriger.

Pinsker and Dickman, a senior righty, handled the pitching chores. Pinsker worked the first three innings to improve to 2-0. He allowed two runs — just one was earned — on two hits and one walk with one strikeout. Dickman was one walk away from being perfect and he punched out four in his two frames.

The big blows in the five-run uprising in the first inning were back-to-back two-run doubles to left field by Welz and Smith.

This story was originally published March 30, 2016 at 6:55 AM with the headline "Bulldogs win two of three games."