Highland scored just one run over the last five innings of Wednesday’s regional quarterfinal, but that was enough for starting pitcher Grace Batcheller, who allowed just three hits in the 5-0 shutout of Lone Tree. 

Sarah Burton’s speed was key to Highland’s fast start. She stole four bases and scored twice during the first two innings as the Huskies grabbed a 4-0 lead. 

Burton is among the top 10 in 1A and leads the conference with 33 stolen bases. 

“It’s a lot of fun, I love it,” she said. “I just see the opening and go. 

“We’ve played (Lone Tree) three times, so now I know how strong the catcher's arm is and what they're gonna do on those types of plays.”

The freshman shortstop’s first two hits, a bunt single and a ground ball into left, both came with two outs. 

“She’s just a phenomenal leadoff,” Highland coach Carrie Wieland said. “She just has a great ball sense and she is just an overall phenomenal athlete.”

All five of the Huskies’ RBI hits came with two outs. 

Batcheller’s double scored the first run of the game, followed by Kinze Hora’s RBI single in the first inning. 

Payton Brun and Abbi Stransky each had an RBI single in the second inning and Brun’s double scored Burton for the game’s final run in the fourth. 

Burton was hit by pitch in her first at bat and finished 3 for 3 at the plate with three runs scored.

Batcheller allowed just three hits and a walk over six innings. Jessica Kraus struck out two and retired the side on 11 pitches in the seventh. 

“Grace pitched a great game,” Wieland said. “I knew Grace was getting tired and it was time for Jess to come in. Once they see her that fourth time through, it makes it a little bit harder. And so we just made the change, and made it easy on everybody and finished the game.”

Lone Tree’s best chance to score came in the fifth inning, when senior Skylar Smith started the 2-out rally with a single to left. Rylee Shield drew a walk and Avery Grover singled to load the bases for Arlie Lorack. 

Lorack drilled a hard ground ball to third base, but Hora was able to get a glove on it and threw to first to end the threat. 

After falling to Highland 17-0 and 13-1 during the regular season, the Lady Lions were much more competitive in the postseason meeting with the Huskies. 

“I'm just so proud of the way that we played tonight,” Lone Tree coach Reid Kaalberg said. 

The score didn’t show it, but Kaalberg saw his team do the little things right, the things they’ve practiced all summer.

“The first time we played them, it was two and a half innings,” Kaalberg said. “The second time it was five. And tonight, we played a full seven against them. So I think that shows how much we've grown as a team and I'm just so proud of them for all of that.”

Highland improves to 21-6 and moves on to face No. 15 Winfield Mt. Union in a regional semifinal on Friday. WMU defeated New London 10-0 in six innings to advance.

Lone Tree finishes with a record of 10-16 in its first season under Kaalberg. 

“This is my family, and they know that,” he said. “All these girls coming to work every single day, and they know it's for each other, it's not for themselves.

“So that makes something like a hard loss tonight, losing our only senior, that’s tough on us, because she's part of our family and now she has to move on. But I think having this culture of ‘we’re family’ has helped us to be a closer team.”