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Washington Evening Journal
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Late surge pushes Highland past Columbus softball
Huskies outscore Wildcats 8-3 in final two innings
COLUMBUS JUNCTION — Highland and Columbus softball clashed with one another on Tuesday night.
What was anyone’s game for four innings of action turned into a substantial Highland Huskies win, 11-5.
Both squads were neck and neck through the first inning as they each scored a run in the first.
Highland got on the board in the opening frame after Payton Brun hit a sacrifice fly to score Sarah Burton.
Burton kicked off the inning with a single and then moved to second on a sac bunt by Lilly Barre and followed with a steal to third.
Columbus wasted no time in the bottom of the inning.
After a strikeout to begin the inning, Lily Coil got the Wildcats going with a single to left.
Coil followed with a pair of steals during the next at-bat for a spot at third.
Sera Vela then delivered at the plate with an RBI single to score Coil and knot the game at 1-1.
Both squads made quick work of one another in the second inning.
The Huskies put the ball in play in three straight at-bats, but each led to an out and an end to the ending.
Meanwhile, Highland’s Jessica Kraus got into a grove in the second.
After a leadoff double by the Wildcats’ Audrey Hoback, Kraus sat down the next three batters, giving her five strikeouts threw two innings.
In the third, Highland pushed its lead to 3-1 after Madison Beeson scored on a throw down to second during Lilly Barre’s at-bat. Barre later scored after Brun drilled an RBI double to left center picking up her second RBI in the game.
Columbus stayed right in it though as Coil hit a triple in the Wildcats second at-bat of the inning. The one-two punch of Coil and Vela struck once again as a Vela single scored Coil.
Everything changed after a scoreless fourth as Highland took control.
In the top of the fifth, Highland tallied five hits which turned into four runs.
A Katelyn Waters double kicked off the inning and the top of the order followed with Burton.
Burton cleared the bases with a two-run home run over the center field wall to make it 5-2.
The Huskies were not done there.
Brun stayed hot at the plate hitting a one-out double, followed by a Abbi Stransky single then Abigail Pierson brought both Brun and Stransky home on a two RBI double to push the Huskies advantage to 7-2.
Coil scored for Columbus in the bottom of the inning on a wild pitch after intentional walk and a steal to make it 7-3.
Highland tacked on four more in the top of the six with RBIs from Lilly Barre, Stransky and Pierson.
Columbus was able to get two runs back in bottom of the seventh, but that’s all they brought home.
For Highland, Sarah Burton, Payton Brun, Abbi Stransky and Abigail Pierson all had two RBIs.
Lilly Barre finished with one RBI.
The Huskies totaled 15 hits in the game.
Jessica Kraus gave up five runs (three earned) on nine hits with 10 strikeouts in the game.
For Columbus, Ellie Sanders, Lily Coil and Sera Vela all had two hits, with Vela tallied three RBIs.
Kennedy Woepking, Audrey Hoback and Aracely Garza each had one hit.
Woepking pitched in the circle, allowing 11 runs (eight earned) on 15 hits and three strikeouts.
With the win Highland moves to 14-7 on the season, while Columbus sits at 9-7.
