Highland dispatches Monroe City in three innings in CCC opener on softball diamond

EWING, Mo. — Well, at least it was quick, but not necessarily painless.

Highland dispatched Monroe City 15-0 in a Clarence Cannon Conference softball game Monday evening that was stopped in the bottom of the third inning by the mercy rule.

Just how dominant was Highland?

• The Cougars (6-3) were working on their fourth trip through the batting order when the 15-run rule came into play. Lead-off hitter Keera Rothweiler batted four times in a game that served as the conference opener for both schools and took just 57 minutes to play.

• All nine Highland starters recorded at least one base hit and eight scored at least one run. The Cougars cemented their victory with eight runs in their half of the third, and were still batting when play was halted.

• Monroe City (5-4), which managed only a first-inning single by Bradi Keller, had just 10 at-bats in its three innings. Highland sent 12 batters to the plate in the third inning alone.

“I think we caught Monroe City at the right time,” Highland coach Paul Scifres said.

Good point.

Monroe City ace Audri Youngblood was being rested after a heavy workload in recent games, and Panthers coach Melissa Chinn knew it could be a trying night for a program that returned just two players from last year’s 18-7 club.

“We’re just so young,” Chinn said. “Right now, we just want to keep building and gain some confidence.”

There is no panic, Chinn emphasizes.

“We have 20 games to play, and we can get it together,” she said. “We’re looking forward to getting another shot at Highland in (the postseason).”

Highland, too, is a work in progress. 

“We’re still developing as a team, getting to know each other,” said Highland pitcher Abby Lay, who retired the final eight batters she faced, striking out four.

Bailie Crist, who had a pair of base hits, including a bases-clearing double in the third inning, relishes the role Highland finds itself in this fall. The Cougars are coming off a 27-3 season and figure to battle Centralia and Macon for the CCC title.

“Pressure is a privilege,” Crist said. “How you handle it is a key.”

Crist is part of the top of a Highland batting order that is borderline lethal. Rothweiler, Crist, Lay, Haleigh Winter and Abby Abell all hit over .400 a year ago. Against Monroe City, those five combined to score 12 runs, collect eight hits and reach base 12 times. Crist, Lay, Abell and No. 6 hitter Hannah Ritterbusch each had two hits.

“The top of our lineup is definitely a key,” Crist said. “So is our chemistry.”

Scifres nods in agreement.

“We knew our top five would be solid, but we’re still grasping and trying to figure things out and get comfortable with one another,” Scifres said.

About an hour following Monday night’s first pitch, it was a pretty safe bet Highland’s players were likely a lot closer to that goal.