Highlands baseball, softball best opponents, weather

Jennifer Jones Photo. Highlands sophomore Ricky Raisor (33) fires to the plate in Tuesday's game against Newport. Raisor threw a no-hitter to help the Bluebirds win 13-0 in five innings.

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

It was a matter of not only beating the underdog opponents, but the thunderstorms as well.

The top-seeded Highlands baseball and softball teams run-ruled their 36th District semifinal opponents by a combined 29-1 before the showers hit Wednesday. The Bluebirds downed the Newport Wildcats, 13-0 in five innings at Morscher Field before the Ladybirds took care of the Dayton Lady Devils, 16-1 in three innings at Winkler Park.
Highlands (19-17) scored four runs in the first and never looked back. They added three in the second then finished it off in the fourth with six more.

“We’ve tried to take a business-like approach to things,” said Jeremy Baioni, Highlands head baseball coach. “We tell the guys to go out and do what we’re supposed to do and not worry about who we’re playing. We put the ball in play and things worked out.”

Sophomore pitcher Ricky Raisor threw a no-hitter in his varsity pitching debut. He struck out nine. Raisor helped the Bluebird junior varsity team to the 9th Region crown last week.

“The mindset going out there was to help the team out, do what I can to pump in strikes and believe in our team,” Raisor said. “That’s what I did. I got the job done.”

The Bluebirds pounded out nine hits. Evan Allen went 2-for-3 with a double, three runs scored and two runs batted in. Teammate Jake Whitford went 2-for-4 with a run batted in and run scored. Kenny Ball had two runs batted in and Todd Ramey scored three times. Ball and Luke Hennigan had doubles.

The Bluebirds committed no erros behind Raisor and stole 10 bases. Brady Murray, Ball and Ramey stole two each.

Highlands returns to Morcher Field in search of its third straight district championship. The Bluebirds take on Bellevue (15-16) at 4:30 p.m.

The Ladybirds (22-11) recorded 16 hits and just two errors to two hits and three errors for the hosts. Highlands has hit the ball well in recent weeks.

Highlands scored four in the first before adding five in the second and seven in the third to force the run-ruling. The Ladybirds have won 14 in a row.

“Dayton is a scrappy team,” said Rob Coffey, Highlands head softball coach. “They come and get their hacks. They’re a very nice up and coming team so by no means did we come in here taking anything for granted. I was glad the girls came out, executed and did some of the things we talked about.”

Brennah Dutcher led Highlands going 3-for-3 with a double, five runs batted in and two runs scored. Teammate Whitney Quillen followed going 3-for-3 with a triple, run batted in and run scored. Shelby Graybill and Kendall Turner had two hits with Rachel Gabbard doubling and Payton Leighty tripling as well. Josie Daley added two runs batted in.

“I got here last year, but I knew they were really down hitting,” Dutcher said. “Now that we’re up, it just brings everyone up. We feel like a force (hitting the ball).”  

Highlands also recorded two stolen bases. Taylor Baioni and Haley Coffey had them. Coffey also scored two runs and Ashley Grosser touched home plate three times.

Eighth-grader Miranda Mason recorded the win on the mound. She has taken over the pitching duties because sophomore Bailey Spencer is out for the postseason.

“I’m just approaching it like I would any other game,” Mason said. “It’s more important. I listened to music to pump up on the way here and just got down to business.”

The Ladybirds take on Newport Central Catholic (18-9) for the district championship Thursday back at Winkler Park. Game time is 6 p.m.