Defending state champ Highland uses small-ball to squeak out a win over Central

Central High baseball coach Kevin Crask warned his team it was coming and the Cougars were still powerless to stop it.

Defending Class 3A state champion Highland used its trademark “small-ball” approach with a two-run rally in the sixth inning Monday that included bunts, steals and timely hitting in a 2-1 victory over Central.

“With Highland sooner or later, one inning they will find a way to small-ball you to death,” said Crask, whose team carried a 1-0 lead into the top of the sixth thanks to the shutdown pitching of senior Mitchel Rule.

Key sequence

It was a typical Highland win that saw the scrappy Bulldogs (2-1) start the sixth inning with a bunt by Brock Troxell as he just beat the throw to first base. Troxell was bunted to second by Mike McGill, then stole third and eventually scored the tying run when Jordan Smith dumped a RBI single over the shortstop’s head into shallow left field.

Smith took second on the throw to the plate and the Bulldogs pushed across the winning run when Chris Dickman’s single was bobbled a bit by the left fielder.

“The at-bats didn’t really come together until the end, but we pulled it together like we always do,” Smith said. “It starts with our fast leadoff guys. Our job’s to drive them in. They get all the way to third and we just knock them in.”

Highland (2-1) is fourth in the News-Democrat Large-School Baseball Rankings while Central (4-2) is ranked first among the small schools.

Crask wasn’t overly happy with the call at first or the execution on the bunt, which was fielded by Rule.

“I thought the ball beat him but the fact was we need to make that play cleaner and faster, we’ve got to get the outs,” Crask said. “Kudos to Coach Hawkins and Coach (Sam) Weber because they coach these guys well. The ability for them to be able to play small-ball and move runners over and do it consistently and cleanly, they’re going to put pressure on you.

“I’m very happy with the way our kids reacted to that, especially as young as we are.”

Key performers

Highland pitchers Matt Beyer and Sam Greene allowed five hits and one run and Hawkins was overjoyed to go the entire day without his team issuing a walk.

Central got a leadoff single from Jack Strieker in the fifth and he scored on an RBI double by sophomore catcher Matt Walters. Beyer left after allowing Strieker’s hit and Greene (1-1) worked his way into trouble and quickly out of it again to escape without further damage.

Rule was outstanding Monday after allowing seven hits and nine runs in just 2 2/3 innings in his first start against Salem. He limited Highland to three hits in five scoreless innings before the sixth, when he allowed four hits.

“When we’re swinging like that right there, and we’re running into somebody that’s doing that to us, then we’ve got to find s away to manufacture,” said Hawkins, and his assembly line of bunts, steals and speed on the basepaths came through once again.

Rule allowed seven hits and struck out four, including two of the three batters he faced in the top of the seventh.

“It’s good to have Mitchel back,” Crask said. “That first game Mitchel threw against Salem was just kind of that off day where everything wasn’t going right. I think he’s going to be really successful as long as he can maintain his ability to do what he did today.”

Central threatened to put the tying run on the seventh but Dickman, Highland’s right fielder, made a diving catch to rob Jayce Timmermann of at least a double. Walters singled to keep the inning alive but Jensen Lake grounded into a force play at second.

“What’s frustrating is our approach at the plate was less than adequate today,” Crask said, citing an ability to be more patient and make adjustments depending on the count.

He believes his team is capable of a lot this season, including a long playoff run.

“I told the kids you guys made the goal. You guys are the ones that wanted to follow in the basketball (team’s) footsteps,” Crask said, referring to Central’s third-place finish at state. “Our pitching is deep enough, our defense is deep enough. The hitting today was kind of disappointing, but with what we’ve been able to accomplish so far this year, these kids still need to realize how good they are.”

This story was originally published March 28, 2016 at 8:53 PM with the headline "Defending state champ Highland uses small-ball to squeak out a win over Central."