Highland flexes muscles in three dominant wins

It was a chilly and gusty day, and it had been nine days since the Highland softball team had played its last game. So it was understandable if it took a bit for the team’s bats to warm up against visiting East Alton-Wood River Thursday at HHS.

After going scoreless with just one hit and trailing 1-0 after two innings, the Bulldogs took the lead for good with a two-run third and then busted loose with a four-run fourth before ending the game early due to the mercy rule. HHS exploded for a five-run fifth to easily slide by the Oilers 11-1 in five innings.

More than half of the Bulldogs’ nine hits were of the extra-base variety as they slammed one home run, one triple and three doubles.

Highland kept the power surge going on Saturday as the Bulldogs launched three more home runs in a doubleheader sweep of the host Belleville West Maroons by scores of 2-0 and 11-5.

Highland, which has won four games in a row to improve to 6-2 on the season, had its scheduled Mississippi Valley Conference opening game at Waterloo (4-7) rained out on Monday. It was rescheduled for Tuesday. The Bulldogs then hosted rival Mascoutah (8-4) on Wednesday and will host Gillespie (14-1) today.

HHS 11, Belleville West 5

The Bulldogs connected for a season-high 17 hits, with six of them being for extra bases — two homers and four doubles.

Highland scored in five straight innings from the second through the sixth, highlighted by crooked numbers in innings 3-6.

Four different HHS players recorded multiple hits, led by junior third baseman Reily Kassay and senior center fielder Lauren Wright, who each supplied three hits apiece.

Kassay put herself in scoring position with two extra-base hits for the Bulldogs. She singled in the second inning, slugged a solo homer over the fence in left-center field to lead off the fourth for her first roundtripper of the year, and smacked an RBI double in the sixth.

Recording two hits apiece for the Bulldogs were sophomore left fielder Lauren Baer, junior designated hitter Aubrey Hacke and junior right fielder Sierra Huelskamp.

Baer got the scoring started for Highland by pummeling a solo homer over the fence in center field to lead off the second. It is her first long ball of the season and second as a varsity player. The Bulldogs never surrendered that lead.

“The pitch was middle outside, and that’s my favorite pitch,” said Baer, who is hitting .458 with a team-leading five doubles. “As soon as I hit it, I just kinda got a feeling in the pit of my stomach and knew it was gone. It felt great, because I have recently started seeing the ball better. I had a tendency to pull my head and not watch my bat hit the ball, and lately, I’ve found a good stroke. “

Baer also slapped an RBI single and scored in HHS’ three-run top of the third. She is tied for the team lead with seven runs scored while sitting in a tie for second with six RBIs.

“This year I hope to help my team any way I can, whether that’s getting on base for my teammates to hit me home or being the one that hits those RBIs in,” she said. “At the plate, I’ve been selective and getting hits later in the count.”

Hacke doubled to center to lead off the third and scored on Baer’s single to left, and Huelsmann capped off the frame with a two-run single to plate Holzinger (reached on error) and Baer and make it 4-0.

Along with Kassay’s leadoff solo shot in the fourth, freshman shortstop Lily Garbett hit an RBI single to center to drive in Wright (single) to bring the lead back to a four-run margin at 6-2.

Highland scored three runs in the fifth to match its third-inning run total. The Bulldogs scored in the fifth on an RBI single by Wright and a two-run single from Hacke to swell the lead to 11-3.

Highland’s final two tallies came in the sixth on a junior first baseman Hannah Miener’s run-scoring single and Kassay’s RBI double.

HHS sophomore Kirsten Plocher recorded the win to keep her record unblemished at 3-0. She allowed three earned runs on six walks and four hits while striking out four over five innings.

Junior Jenna Gnaedinger threw the final two innings, allowing two earned runs on four hits and two walks while whiffing two.

HHS 2, Belleville West 0

Hacke, a junor lefty, was not deterred by a small amount of run support, as she brought her A-game to the circle at Belleville West.

Hacke fired seven strong innings to carry Highland, silencing the Maroons on just one hit and three walks while punching out five to even her record at 2-2 while dropping her microscopic ERA to 0.50.

The Bulldogs were led at the dish by Garbett and Miener, who both produced two hits apiece.

Garbett gave Hacke and her team the only run they would really need when she powered up to swat a two-out solo home run over the center-field fence. Garbett is batting a team-best .480 with a team-topping 10 RBIs.

Miener had a flawless day at the dish after going 2-for-2. In the sxith, Miener drove home a key insurance run as she tripled the opposite way to right to knock in Baer, who hit a two-out single to right.

HHS 11, Wood River 1 (5 innings)

After the Oilers got their only run in the game’s first frame on a two-out walk, hit batsman and an error, Highland scored the only two runs it would need in the third. Wright led off with a bunt that turned into an error on the opposing pitcher. After the first out, Garbett launched a triple to right field to chase Wright home with the tying run. Then after the second out, Miener popped a single to left to knock in Garbett with the go-ahead run.

In the fourth inning, Highland seized complete control of the game. After Kassay reached on an error, stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored an insurance tally on an error, Hacke came through with the decisive blow to all but ensure herself and her teammates of the victory.

Hacke pulled off a real rarity when she slugged a home run that actually left the yard at HHS. Hacke socked a 1-2 pitch so hard that it soared over the fence in right field for a three-run blast to score sophomore Kourtney Zobrist and Wright, who both walked, to put Highland on top by a commanding 6-1 margin.

“It was ridiculous. Low and inside is just my sweet spot, and I really didn’t believe it for a second, but it just went up and up and up, and it is really exciting,” said Hacke, who ended up with a game-leading four RBIs. “I think we have the biggest fence in the area, so it was pretty crazy.”

Hacke’s bomb helped make her a winner for the first time this season. After being deserving of a better fate in her first two starts of the season, Hacke admitted that she didn’t have her A-game.

But it was plenty good enough to earn her the win as she only surrendered the one unearned run on just two hits while punching out six, although she did walk three and hit one batter.

“I didn’t have my best stuff today, but I battled through it, and always have good defense behind me to pick me up and we got the win,” Hacke said. “It has been a while since we played a game. Practices have gone well, but obviously we wanted to get back out here and play a game, and it feels good to get the win.”

The Bulldogs erupted for five additional runs in the fifth to bring the game to an early conclusion. Highland’s runs scored on an RBI single by Zobrist, an RBI ground out from Hacke, a two-run double by Garbett and an RBI double from Baer.

Garbett racked up three RBIs on a triple and a double, and Baer smacked a pair of doubles.

This story was originally published April 8, 2016 at 10:45 AM with the headline "Highland flexes muscles in three dominant wins."