Colonels Score Seven with Two Out in Second Inning on Way to Win |
| PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. Highlands junior Sam Hennigan makes a play recent game. |
But the Highlands Bluebirds baseball team (4-6 overall) made some big improvements Tuesday compared to the two losses Saturday. Unfortunately, the host Covington Catholic Colonels (8-3) scored seven runs with two out in the bottom of the second inning and held on for an 8-3 9th Region victory. The Bluebirds are 1-1 in region play.
CovCath took advantage of six walks and three Highlands errors in the win. All seven runs came against Bluebird starting pitcher Hunter Dreves.
Both teams recorded six hits. Senior Ben France led the Colonels going 2-for-3 with two runs batted in and a run scored. Junior Justin Colvin added two RBI for CovCath.
"The bottom line is that's a good hitting team," said Jeremy Baioni, Highlands Head Coach. "Again, if we give up free base runners and we struggle to make them put the ball in play, they're going to do damage and they did damage (Tuesday). I was proud of the way our kids responded. We didn't fight all the way back."
Junior Grady Cramer relieved Dreves in the bottom of the second and finished the game on the mound for the Bluebirds. He struck out three and walked just one in the four-plus innings of work.
"We're getting better every day. The hitting is starting to come along, too," Cramer said. "We just have to learn how to hit the ball (better) and we're (going to be) good."
Highlands also had six hits. Kyle Rust led the Bluebirds going 2-for-4 with a run scored.
"I thought we played well. We made some really good plays defensively," Baioni said. "We swung the bat well hit a bunch of balls hard that had nothing to show for it. We got some really big hits as we tried to stage a comeback there."
Highlands scored its three runs in the top of the third. Bradley Greene started the rally off with a double and Rust reached on a bunt single. Ethan Kavanagh then doubled home Greene. Rust then scored when Trey Bowden grounded out and Kavanagh scored when Kyle Finfrock grounded out.
But junior Jack Maile took over for Colonel starter Zach Michels after the third inning and kept the Highlands offense off-balance. Highlands managed just one hit off Maile to go with five strikeouts and three walks in the last four innings.
"I think (Maile) did a good job. He's a lefty and we have a few lefties in our line-up," Baioni said. "He was predominantly fastball, but he located really well. He was in and out with a little bit of movement and that can do just as much damage as a bunch of off-speed stuff."
Highlands continues 9th Region action at Highland Park on Wednesday against Covington Holy Cross (6-6). Game time is 5 p.m.
Box Score
HIGHLANDS HIGH SCHOOL (3) AT COV CATH (8)
HIGHLANDS HIGH SCHOO AB R H BI COV CATH AB R H BI
Kyle Rust 4 1 2 0 A Schneider 2 1 0 1
Ethan Kavanagh 4 1 1 1 J Colvin 4 1 1 2
Trey Bowden 3 0 1 1 B France 3 1 2 2
Kyle Finfrock 4 0 0 1 J Coldiron 4 0 1 1
Ethan Doty 3 0 0 0 T Cody 3 0 1 0
Joe Steiden 2 0 1 0 J Maile 2 1 0 0
Brady Gosney 2 0 0 0 M Theil 1 2 0 0
Grant Summers 0 0 0 0 A Kennedy 1 1 0 0
Sam Hennigan 2 0 0 0 C Nowak 1 0 1 0
Bradley Greene 3 1 1 0 J Dietz 2 1 0 0
M Schaefer 0 0 0 1
TOTALS 27 3 6 3 TOTALS 23 8 6 7
HIGHLANDS HIGH SCHOOL 003 000 0 -- 3
COV CATH 070 010 x -- 8
LOB--HIGHLANDS HIGH SCHOOL 8, COV CATH 6. ERR--Kyle Rust,
Brady Gosney, A Kennedy. 2B--Bradley Greene, Ethan Kavanagh,
J Coldiron. HBP--B France, M Schaefer, A Schneider. SB--C
Nowak.
HIGHLANDS HIGH SCHOOL IP H R ER BB SO HR
Hunter Dreves (L) 1.67 2 7 7 5 0 0
Grady Cramer 4.33 4 1 0 1 3 0
COV CATH
Z Michels (W) 3.00 5 3 3 1 1 0
J Maile 4.00 1 0 0 3 5 0
PB--A Kennedy. WP--Hunter Dreves (2). SO--Joe Steiden, Kyle
Rust, Kyle Finfrock (2), Ethan Doty (2), M Theil, A Kennedy,
A Schneider. BB--Grant Summers, Trey Bowden, Sam Hennigan,
Ethan Doty, M Theil (2), T Cody, A Kennedy, A Schneider, J
Maile.
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