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.