The Highland softball team couldn’t get untracked in their Division II district semifinal contest against Hebron Lakewood at Olentangy High School Monday night.
In their 8-2 loss to the Lancers, the Scots were only outhit 11-9, but struggled to put runners across home plate.
“We were getting everything with two outs,” said head coach Abby Steele. “It wasn’t our day offensively and what we like to expect.”
Meanwhile, the Lancers were getting those timely hits. After neither team could generate any offense in the first inning, Lakewood opened the second with an Emma McLean single. She would be sacrificed to second and then brought home by an Ashley Poling double. Poling would advance to third and then make it home when a pick-off attempt led to an error.
The Lancers added another run in the third inning, but Highland was able to answer in their half of the inning. Abby Jordan and Stevie Asher led off with back-to-back singles and Jordan would make it home when Guinevere Jackson recorded a hit.
However, that would be the only run scored by the Scots in an inning that saw them generate three singles and draw a walk. Lakewood would immediately get it back in the fourth when Poling led off with a home run to make it a 4-1 game.
It would stay that way until the sixth, when Lakewood got some breathing room with a three-run inning. With a runner on first and two outs, a triple by Meredith Parmer and double from Abby Colley brought in a pair of scores. Then, with two gone, Audrey Thomas cracked a double to make it 7-1.
Highland got a boost in their half of the inning when Adyson Landefeld cracked a triple and then scored on an errant throw to third base to lead off the inning. Audrey Robinson followed with a single, but the Scots couldn’t generate any more offense.
Lakewood would add one more run in the top of the seventh to lead by six. Highland made one final run of it, but left the bases loaded in their half of the inning. Jordan opened with a single and then, with two outs, Jackson reached via error and Faith Geiger singled, but the Lancers got out of the inning to end the Scots’ season at 18-4.
Steele’s team will have a different look next year, as her roster was senior-dominated
“We have eight we’re losing,” she said. “I thanked them for creating a legacy of making it (to districts). Unfortunately, we’re not there yet to make the next stepping stone.”
The coach noted that she will be relying on current juniors Jackson, Asher, Jordan and Abi Burke to provide leadership, as they will be virtually all the team’s returning experience next year.
“They have some really big shoes to fill,” said the coach. “We brought 15 on our tournament run. That leaves us with eight or nine girls and five of them were JV kids who got a bit of a run. With those four juniors, I expect them to lead now. It’s up to them to take the reins. They’re very capable and I have every hope they will.”
