‘We’ve got a good thing going’: Highland softball team rolls into district title game with momentum

LEWISTOWN, Mo. — Time will tell how long the Highland softball team’s postseason run lasts, but coach Paul Scifres believes the Cougars have something special brewing. 

Junior Abby Lay twirled a five-inning no-hitter and senior Haleigh Winter matched the school single-season home run record as the top-seeded Cougars rolled over fifth-seeded Clark County 13-0 Thursday in the first Class 2 District 5 semifinal.

“We’ve got a good thing going, and hopefully we can keep that momentum in our dugout for a while,” Scifres said.

An error allowed Indians leadoff hitter Ava McKay to reach base to begin the game, but Lay retired the next 13 batters until the top of the fifth when Amelia Fox hit a sharp ground ball to Highland third baseman Manda Jennings and reached after Jennings bobbled the ball.

On the next pitch, Lay threw out Maggie Wheeler on a comebacker to send the Cougars (23-6) to Saturday’s district title game against Monroe City. Lay struck out eight, faced one batter over the minimum and threw 44 strikes on just 51 pitches.

When Lay finds a groove like she did on Thursday, Scifres can just sit back and enjoy the show.

“I feel myself just sitting on a bucket watching more than I’m coaching,” Scifres said. “She’s a warrior. She keeps us in games and gives us a chance to win whether we’re hitting or not.”

The Cougars were hitting on this day.

“We always get told, ‘Stay on top of the ball,’ and that’s what we did tonight,” said junior second baseman Addy Abell, who went 2 for 4 with four RBIs. “Just sitting back, driving the ball.”

Highland broke the game open with six two-out runs in the second inning and added three more tallies in both the third and fourth frames to put the mercy rule into effect. The Cougars cranked out 10 hits, three of which went for extra bases.

“It’s good to get some run production behind (Lay), loosen things up, take a little stress out of the game,” Scifres said. “It was good to get some runs early for her so she could settle in and do her thing.”

In the bottom of the fourth, Winter pierced a line drive through the wind and over the left-center field fence for her ninth home run of the season, matching Becca Scott’s school record in 2018.

“My main focus when I get in the box is just hit the ball hard,” Winter said. “I never think about home runs. I just know if I hit the ball hard, it’ll go if it goes.”

Winter hit this ball hard, but she did not think it would leave the yard.

“The wind was blowing in, so I thought it was going to die and hit the fence,” Winter said.

Winter has homered in each of the Cougars’ last four games, and she has six long balls during that stretch. She hit three homers against Knox County on Oct. 10, a game in which she broke the Highland career home run and RBI marks.

“She is really seeing the ball well,” Scifres said. “She’s on time. She’s probably one of the strongest hitters we’ve ever seen. She can leave the park at any time. She’s a lot more patient at the plate. She’s not afraid to take a strike or two. When she barrels it up, it’s going somewhere, it just depends on the elevation. She’s having a lot of fun, and so are we.”

Sophomore shortstop Keera Rothweiler’s flare double to left field with two strikes, two outs and the bases loaded in the second extended the Cougars’ lead to 3-0. Two pitches later, Abell’s line drive single to center field drove in Rothweiler and Emma Berry. Bailie Crist worked a walk, then Lay provided her own insurance with a two-RBI single.

Lay said Rothweiler’s ultra competitive nature at the plate turned the momentum in that inning.

“Keera’s amazing,” Lay said. “She knows how to battle. No matter what count she’s in, we know she’s going to get on.”

Five of the Cougars’ six runs the next two innings came with two outs as well. Freshman designated player Delilah Megee’s base hit scored Hannah Ritterbusch to give the Cougars an eight-run lead. Rothweiler singled, then Abell drove in her third and fourth runs of the game with a double. Bailee Cary scored on an error by Indians first baseman Jasmine James to bring the Cougars’ run total to a baker’s dozen.

“I think clutch is another word for confidence,” Scifres said. “These girls have a lot of confidence. They know if it’s not them, it’s going to be the girl behind them or two spots down. One through nine, we’ve got a lot of girls who can swing it.”

Dating back to Oct. 5, the Cougars have won eight consecutive games, outscored opponents 117-4, and have racked up at least nine runs in every one of those wins. In the last three games, Highland has amassed 56 runs and given up zero.

“We’re in a good place,” Scifres said. “The girls are attacking the softball. They feel comfortable at the plate. They’re just trying to get a good pitch and put a good swing on it. As long as we can continue to do that, we’re a tough team to beat.”

Highland (23-6) will host Saturday’s district championship game against Clarence Cannon Conference rival Monroe City. The Cougars’ 2023 season came to a bitter end at this juncture when they lost the district title game to Bowling Green.

“That threw us off, but we’re not going to let that happen this year,” Abell said. “We’re going to win.”