Highlands downs Ryle to end regular season

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

The Highlands Bluebirds baseball team (17-17) finished the regular season with a huge road victory Saturday.

Highlands downed the Ryle Raiders, 7-3 in Union. Mitch Jones, Joey Cochran and Jake Liggett combined to throw a four-hitter and strike out four Raiders.

Ryle (28-6) came into the game ranked seventh in the state in some polls. But the Bluebirds put together 11 hits and took advantage of five Raider errors in the win.

“It’s really good when you get a win against a quality team no matter what time of the season it is,” said Jeremy Baioni, Highlands Head Coach. “We were pleased with their offensive approach. Ryle ran pitchers in and out. That’s hard when you don’t see the pitcher a second and third time.”

Todd Ramey led the Bluebirds offensively going 3-for-4 with two doubles, two runs batted in and two runs scored. Quentin Murray and Evan Allen added two hits each.

Highlands scored two runs in the first and third innings and added three in the fifth to go up 7-0. Ryle scored three in the bottom of the sixth.

Highlands plays in the 36th District Tournament next week.

Friday Cancellations

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

Several games were called off Friday as a result of rain.

The cancelled games were Highlands baseball against Conner and the Highlands softball game at Walton-Verona. Both teams play Tuesday in the 36th District Tournament as top seeds. The baseball team faces either Dayton or Newport and the softball team battles either Dayton or Bellevue at 4:30 p.m. at Northern Kentucky University.

The Newport Central Catholic baseball team saw its game against Boone County called off. The Thoroughbreds face Bellevue to open the district tournament Monday at Morscher Field.

Newport Softball updates:

The Thoroughbreds (13-12) saw their games against Cooper Thursday and Boone County on Friday called off because of rain. They did manage to get in a game on May 9 and beat Cincinnati McAuley, 7-6.

NewCath faces Newport in the 36th District semifinals on Monday at 6 p.m. at Northern Kentucky University.

Highlands Softball makes major progress

G. Michael Graham Photo. Members of the Highlands softball team watch during Tuesday's game against Newport. Entering today's season finale, Highlands owns a 16-10 record.

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

The Highlands Bluebirds softball team has made some great progress this season.

The Bluebirds own a 16-10 record entering Friday’s season finale at Walton-Verona. Game time is 5:30 p.m.

Highlands has not won that man games since winning 18 in 2008. The Bluebirds will also be favored to win their second 36th District championship in three years.

“The turnaround has been all them,” said Rob Coffey, first-year Highlands head coach. “It’s the attitude and aggressiveness. It’s been neat to see them take on a winning attitude rather than just participating. They’re young. But they know they can compete.”

The Bluebirds took a huge step Tuesday in putting away a nice opponent in Newport (11-7). The Bluebirds run-ruled the Lady Wildcats in six innings, 15-5 and Lloyd Memorial in four innings, 16-0 on Thursday.

Highlands has run-ruled several opponents this year. Three of the run-rulings came against district opponents. The Bluebirds finished 5-0 against district opponents with two 4-3 wins over Newport Central Catholic.

“We’ve been struggling with putting the throttle down when we had teams down,” Coffey said. “We’d have a big error or stop hitting to sink our ship. We talked in the middle of the game that we need to take one of these teams and finish them off. Newport is also young like this. We finally put a team away.”

This team has turned things in the right direction without any seniors. The Bluebirds have three juniors in Ashley Grosser, K.C. Broering and Kendall Turner and three sophomores in Emily Johncox, Payton Leighty and Whitney Quillen.

But Grosser said the team chemistry has been great. The Bluebirds have had a number of contributions from freshmen as well. Freshman Shelby Graybill ranks among the state’s hitting leaders.

“We’re really starting to come together as a team,” Grosser said. “If something like an error happens, we know to get each other up because the more fun we have, the better we play.”

The Bluebirds have lit up the scoreboard this year averaging about seven runs a contest. They’ve scored 10 or more runs in seven games this year.

“We were making solid contact in the center of your bat against this good pitcher,” said Brennah Dutcher, Highlands freshman infielder. “It’s not about swinging as hard as you can. If you do that, (the ball will go far) on its own with the speed.”

Coffey lists the Bluebirds as a darkhorse in terms of the 9th Region behind Ryle, Conner and Notre Dame. Highlands is 0-7 against those teams this year. In the loss to Notre Dame on Monday, the game was close until the sixth inning when the Pandas pulled away for an 8-1 win.

“We obviously aren’t going to take anybody lightly,” Coffey said. “We want to win the district. In the region, we have found that we can play with anybody. If the time is right and we polish up our defense and we hit a bit, we can pull off a win with anybody. We believe we can compete in region. We have to go out and prove it.”

Highlands plays at 4:30 p.m. in the district semifinals on Tuesday at Northern Kentucky University. The Bluebirds take on the winner of either Dayton or Bellevue.

  

Wednesday Sports Briefs

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

The Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds baseball team (19-12) won its second straight with a 4-2 win over the defending state champion Woodford County Yellow Jackets in Versailles on Wednesday.

NewCath trailed 2-1 after the first inning. But the Thoroughbreds scored two more in the second to go up 3-2 before adding another run in the third.

Connor Bartels picked up the pitching win for the Thoroughbreds. Bartels pitched a complete game striking out five and walking one.

The Thoroughbreds outhit the Yellow Jackets, 7-5. Josh Cain and Kevin Hoffstedder led the way with two hits each. Cain homered and stole a base to go along with two runs scored and a run batted in. Alex Grau added a double for the Thoroughbreds.

NewCath concludes the regular season with a home game against Boone County on Friday. Game time is 5 p.m.

Softball:

Beechwood 6, NewCath 3:

The Thoroughbreds (12-12) lost a tough home game for their second straight defeat.

Beechwood led 5-0 entering the bottom of the third before NewCath scored three times. The Thoroughbreds did not score again despite outhitting the Lady Tigers, 11-6.

Michaela Ware, Kristin Schreiber, Taylor Burkart and Molly Mertle all had two hits each for the Thoroughbreds. Schreiber tripled and added a run batted in.

Sarah Neace took the loss for NewCath pitching into the fourth inning before Haley Meyers took over. The two combined for seven strikeouts.

The Thoroughbreds play host to Cooper on Thursday. Game time is 5:30 p.m.

Tuesday Sports Briefs

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

The Highlands Bluebirds softball team played its final home game in Death Valley on Tuesday and came up with a huge victory.

The Bluebirds run-ruled the Newport Lady Wildcats, 15-5 in five innings to claim the top spot in the 36th District Tournament next week at Northern Kentucky University. Highlands (15-10) finished 5-0 against district opponents during the regular season beating Newport Central Catholic twice.

Newport tied the game in the third. But the Bluebirds responded with five in the inning to go up 7-2 for good. Payton Leighty picked up the pitching win for Highlands with Shelby Graybill knocking home the finishing touches in the sixth even though Newport tried to intentionally walk her.

The Bluebirds travel to Lloyd Memorial on Thursday. Game time is 5 p.m.

Baseball:

Lloyd Memorial 8, Highlands 5:

The Bluebirds (16-17) lost their second straight in Erlanger on Monday.

Highlands does not play again until Friday. The Bluebirds play host to Conner at 5 p.m.

Newport Central Catholic 5, Scott 3:

The Thoroughbreds (18-12) snapped a two-game losing streak with the home win Tuesday.

They outhit the Eagles, 10-5. Alex Grau finished a perfect 4-for-4 with two runs and a run batted in. Dom Pangallo and Michael Bueter added doubles.

Josh Cain picked up the win for the Thoroughbreds. He pitched five innings and struck out three before Nick Seibert pitched the final two innings to record the save.

NewCath travels to Woodford County today. Game time is 6 p.m.

Monday Sports Briefs

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

The third time was not the charm on Monday for the Highlands Bluebirds softball team Monday.

The Notre Dame Pandas (20-7) beat the Bluebirds (14-10) for the third time this season, 8-1 in Fort Thomas. Bailey Spencer took the loss for Highlands.

Highlands faces Newport at 5:30 p.m. today to conclude District 36 action.

Ryle baseball 7, Newport Central Catholic 6:

A dropped pop-up in the seventh inning allowed the Raiders to pull out the win in Union. Ryle scored twice in that frame to pull off the win Monday.

The Thoroughbreds (17-12) had taken the lead in the top of the seventh after battling back from a 5-0 deficit. They scored three in the fourth and two more in the fifth to tie the game at five.

Colin DuPont absorbed the tough loss on the mound and Josh Bellew took the win. Bellew struck out three in three innings of work. Michael Bueter struck out four in five innings for NewCath.

Ryle outhit NewCath, 10-9. Kevin Hoffstedder led the Thoroughbreds at the plate going 3-for-4 with four RBI.

Jackson Breennan and Mason Forbes went 3-for-4 to lead Ryle and Eric Clarkson finished 2-for-4. Forbes had two RBI and Brennan had two RBI and scored twice. Forbes doubled and Thomas Baumann added a triple for the Raiders.

NewCath plays host to Scott today. Game time is 5 p.m.

Conner softball 8, NewCath 3:

The Thoroughbreds (12-11) saw their six-game winning streak snapped Monday in Hebron.

Sophomore Elisabeth Sims pitched a gem for Conner. She struck out 13 and surrendered only four hits for the victory.

NewCath did not do itself any favors defensively. Five errors and two wild pitches led to two Cougar runs.

No one had more than one hit for the Thoroughbreds. Michaela Ware, Taylor Burkart, Molly Mertle and Casey Kohls all had singles for NewCath.

Sarah Neace pitched five innings to take the loss for NewCath and Haley Meyers pitched the sixth. The two combined for three strikeouts.

Conner scored three in the second before NewCath tied the game in the third. The Cougars took the lead for good with two runs in the bottom of the third.

NewCath plays host to Beechwood on Wednesday. Game time is 5 p.m.

Highlands falls to Trinity on Breat Cancer Awareness Day

G. Michael Graham Photo. Many Highlands fans came wearing pink to Monday's Highlands-Trinity baseball game in support of Tammy Schroder and Breast Cancer Awareness Day. The Bluebirds fell to the Shamrocks, 12-10.

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

All over Highlands Park, Highlands Bluebirds supporters wore pink shirts in support of Tammy Schroder.

Schroder, mother of Highlands senior baseball and football player Reid Schroder, is currently battling Cancer. Thus, the Highlands supporters wore pink in support of her in the Breast Cancer Awareness game.

The Bluebirds (16-16) tried to earn a victory in her honor. But they came up shot, 12-10 largely in part to the Shamrocks scoring 11 runs in the third inning.

In that rough inning, Trinity took advantage of five hits, four walks and two Highlands errors. A few of those walks came on 3-2 pitches on close calls on the corner of the plate that seemed to be knee level and right on the edge of the strike zone.

“You’re going to have days like that,” said Jeremy Baioni, Highlands head coach. “We tell the guys you’re not going to have your best stuff all the time. You’re going to figure out ways to make pitches and get out of innings. That’s when you have to play really good defense. We didn’t help them by not making a couple plays.”

Sean Dugaford struck the big blow in that inning with a three-run home run after two of those walks for Trinity. That gave the Shamrocks a 12-6 advantage. Dugaford finished 2-of-5 with four runs batted in and two runs scored.

Highlands scored back some of those runs scoring three in the third and another in the sixth. But the Bluebirds could not recover after losing the 6-1 advantage.

Trinity outhit Highlands, 12-10. Brady Pfaadt, Tony Piccirilli and Logan Porter also had two hits each for the Shamrocks. Justin Howard added two RBI with Pfaadt, Piccirilli and Porter scoring two runs each.

Hector Molina and Jake Whitford both had good games at the plate to lead Highlands. Whitford finished 3-for-3 with three RBI and two runs scored. Molina finished 2-for-3 with three RBI and two runs scored. Jake Lester added two runs for the Bluebirds.

Molina and Whitford started off the scoring with two runs in the first. They reached on errors and ultimately scored.

Highland added four runs in the second after Trinity scored once in the second. Molina doubled home Jake Heck and Lester before Whitford sinled home Colin Seidl and Whitford scored on an error.

After Trinity’s big inning, Highlands scored three times to trim the margin to 12-9. Seidl singled in Murray and Molina drew a bases-loaded walk to score Evan Allen before Whitford hit a sacrifice fly to score Lester.

The final run for the Bluebirds came in the sixth. Quentin Murray singled in Whitford.

Grant Rodeo picked up the win for Trinity and Jake Liggett took the loss. Rodeo retired the side in the seventh for the Shamrocks.

“(Rodeo) threw strikes and they played defense behind him,” Baioni said. “We still hit some balls hard that they made plays on even when we got runners on and kept those guys from scoring.”

Highlands travels to Lloyd Memorial on Tuesday. Game time is 5 p.m.