Leonard, Lasek lift Highland

KALONA - Each team had 11 hits, five earned runs and a home run to its credit, but Highland had five stolen bases to two for Iowa Mennonite School in a 7-5 SEISC North Division win Wednesday.

'Being aggressive on the base paths is is like a double-edged sword for us,” Highland coach Seth Milledge said. 'We are going to live and die by that. When we put pressure on the other team, it is really good for us. We haven't stolen as many bases as we have in the past. Four years ago we lead the state with 225 bases stolen. I think being aggressive helps us immensely as a team.”

Highland scored the first run of the game when Trey Lasek, who had three doubles, was caught in a rundown between home and third and tagged out, then awarded home when an umpire ruled obstruction on an IMS player blocking the base path without the ball. the Huskies added two more runs in the first inning.

'In the moment it's tough to deal with because you feel like you made a great play and then it's taken away,” IMS coach Danny Herschberger said. 'It is what it is. I thought our guys did a good job regrouping after that. It would've been easy to give up and blame the day on that, but we did not do that. We fought back and gave ourselves opportunities.”

The lead was 5-0 when Jacob Leonard sent a ball over the centerfield fence in the third inning.

'He hung his curveball up there and I just took a hack at it,” said Leonard, who also hit a run-scoring double in the first inning. 'It definitely flew off the bat real nice. I saw that pitch come and put a good swing on it and took it for a ride.”

London Schrock changed the game with his swing of the bat in the bottom of the third inning, sending the ball over the right-centerfield fence for a three-run tater.

'That was a huge hit by London,” Hershberger said. 'It not only got us back in the game, but it was a huge momentum shift.”

Three consecutive IMS singles in the fifth inning scored a run and chased Huskies starter Dan Burton. Chase Schultz threw the last three innings, allowing just three hits.

IMS got within 5-4 and 6-5, but couldn't complete the comeback.

Brody Burton was 3 for 4 with two stolen bases and two runs scored for the Huskies.

'It is not a one person effort, it is a team effort to win a ball game,” Leonard said. 'One person can't shine the entire time if we are going to succeed as a team.”

Highland is 10-7 overall, 8-6 North and plays at West Branch Friday.

Iowa Mennonite honored its four seniors - Blake Bontrager, Trevor Leyden, Cody Jones, Jacob Boller - after the game.

Bontrager threw all seven innings with six strikeouts and two walks.

'Blake has been our guy the last four years,” hershberger said. 'He's been helping out since he was an eighth grader and that is tough to do. He has grown into a solid player for us. He's a guy you can count on. I'm very happy with the way he has handled himself and become a great leader for us.

'Trevor has been playing varsity for four years. Trevor is been a leader for us and has been playing a great shortstop for us. He also does a great job at the top of our lineup.

'Cody has been a great utility man for us, always coming through no matter where we put him. He gets to the ballpark and gets plugged in wherever we need him and is happy to do it. It's great to have that player that will always do whatever you need.

'Jacob has really stepped up from last year and earn himself a starting role. He has earned that spot in the outfield and been a very solid player for us.

'These guys have really helped our program take a turn for the positive over their four years.”

IMS was 6-14 their fresman year, 14-10 as sohomores and 16-10 last year when IMS was one game away from the state tournament.

IMS is 10-3-1 in the North, 10-7-1 overall after lightning ended its game with Winfield-Mt. Union early Tuesday.