While they still have work to do in order to claim a MOAC title, Highland did a lot to help themselves with two wins over Clear Fork.

Entering the week, those two teams were tied for the lead, but the Scots claimed a 7-2 road win on Tuesday and followed that up at home on Wednesday by scoring in the first three innings and going on to claim a 10-1 decision.

“When you think about Clear Fork, you think about a disciplined team with a pool of athletes and well-coached,” said head coach Don Kline. “We’ve been preparing for them actually the last couple weeks on the side. We knew it was going to be a challenge. They’re a top 10 team in Division II in the state for a reason. I think this series, our boys had a nice team effort and they continued to put pressure on them and found a way to break through.”

The Scots got on the board in the first inning when Kort Sears recorded a one-hit single and a hit by Zach Church put runners on the corners. Hayden Kline followed with a sacrifice bunt that gave Highland a 1-0 lead.

They added two more in the second. With Gavin Wiggand and Evan Johnson on base, Hendrick Karya drove in one run with a ground ball and Jayden Collins cracked a single to make it 3-0.

In the third inning, Hayden Kline led off with a single and, with one out, was driven in by a Wiggand double. Johnson then laid down a bunt. Wiggand would get caught in a run-down, but when he took off for home, the throw was errant and he was safe to make it 5-0.

Don Kline noted that his team did a great job of being aggressive in the game — something he encourages.

“I think that’s one of the things we tell the boys,” he said. “We make a mistake being aggressive, we can live with that. We want to be the aggressor. It puts a lot of pressure on them. It makes them think and when you think, you’re slow. When you have a good defense like that and good pitching, we want to slow them down, we want them to think and then they get out of their game.”

Johnson would drive in Jace Brooks with a fifth-inning single, but Clear Fork scored in the top of the sixth to stay within a 6-1 margin. However, a big sixth inning for Highland put the game out of reach.

Collins opened the inning with a walk and with one out, a single by Church put runners on first and second. A bunt attempt by Hayden Kline was bobbled to load the bases for Brooks. The senior hit a ground ball, but the Colts committed an error attempting to go home that allowed two runs to cross the plate. A single by Wiggand and ground ball by Johnson brought two more runs in to give Highland a 10-1 lead.

“When you’re being aggressive, sometimes the baseball gods smile on you,” said Don Kline. “Both of those plays at the plate are plays they make most of the time, but when you’re facing an offense like us where you’re being aggressive, maybe you hesitate a bit or hold the ball longer than you normally do.”

For the Scots, that easily was more than enough offense, as Sears pitched a gem. The junior only gave up one hit and one walk, while striking out eight in going the distance. With that showing coming one night after Church also had a very strong outing, Don Kline was extremely pleased at how his pitchers performed against a good opponent.

“I told the guys after the game, when your starting pitchers hold an offense like Clear Fork to three runs in two games, that really helps us out,” he said. “That allows our offense to work, we can gamble more and be more aggressive. It goes back to pitching. I thought Kort did a really nice job filling the zone up.”

Rob Hamilton can be reached at 419-946-3010, ext. 1807. Connect with him on Twitter at @SportsMCS