Huskies survive 14-inning battle with WMU

Highland reaches regional final with 1-0 victory

By Jeff Yoder
Posted 7/13/21

The pitching was phenomenal. And the defense was even better.

Through 12 innings, neither Highland nor Winfield-Mount Union could find a crack in the opposing defense. With the season on the line …

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Huskies survive 14-inning battle with WMU

Highland reaches regional final with 1-0 victory

Posted

The pitching was phenomenal. And the defense was even better.

Through 12 innings, neither Highland nor Winfield-Mount Union could find a crack in the opposing defense. With the season on the line and pressure building, the pitchers and fielders stepped up over and over again. 

Who would make the critical mistake?

It looked like the 13th inning would be unlucky for the Huskies when a single, an error and a passed ball put a runner at third base with no outs. But Grace Batcheller struck the next batter out and a pair of infield fly outs to extend the season. 

When a WMU error presented an opportunity for Highland in the 14th, the Huskies were ready to take advantage. 

Sarah Burton put a bunt down and reached third on a throwing error. She scored the game’s only run on a wild pitch and Highland advanced to the regional final with a 1-0 win.

“We have the best defense in the conference, we work really hard on that,” Highland coach Carrie Wieland said, “but Winfield-Mount Union did the same thing. They took out all the stuff we do, all the little small ball we play — they took it away. 

“Madie (Anderson) was just unbelievable. She is obviously the best pitcher in the conference, pretty close to the best pitcher in the state. We got past that and it's just super exciting.”

Anderson pitched all 14 innings without walking a batter. She allowed seven hits and struck out 22 to become one of just four in the state with 300 strikeouts this season.  

For the Huskies, the duo of Batcheller and Jessica Kraus were just as good. 

Kraus entered the game on Friday with one out in the sixth inning and a runner on third base. But after rain suspended play on Friday and postponed the rescheduled finish on Saturday, Kraus had to wait three days with the go-ahead run sitting 60 feet from home plate. 

“Our coach was just like, “don’t worry about it, we're just going to go like it's another game, and we were just going to go into it and put all of it on the field,” Kraus said about the pressure of the situation. 

Kraus threw nearly a ‘complete game’ no-hitter in relief. She walked two batters and struck out six in 6 and 2-3 innings. 

“I just wanted to hit my spot that (assistant coach) Sam (Cox) called for me," Kraus said. "Just located where she wanted it, so that way, they went where we needed it to go.”

The sophomore threw six high-pressure innings where a single run allowed would have ended the Huskies’ season. 

“She just stayed so focused, she's what we call a gamer. And so was Grace,” Wieland said. 

Batcheller did not walk a batter over 7 and 1-3 innings, but she pitched around nine hits to keep the Wolves off the scoreboard. Batcheller said the Huskie defense was incredible.

“We were solid, it was really a defensive game the whole time,” she said. “We were all stopping the ball really well. We were really good defensively: Sarah Burton, Mackinzie Hora. Everyone on the team — phenomenal.

A two-out double put the tying run at third base and the winning run at second for Winfield Mount Union in the 14th, but Payton Brun gloved a hard hit ground ball to first base and stepped on the bag to send the Huskies to the regional final. 

“The adrenaline rush just made me jump and we all just hugged and it was the best feeling," Batcheller said. "It was like going to state, which I hope we do.” 

No one on either team had more than one hit through 10 innings.

Sarah Burton had a double in the 11th and finished with three of Highland’s six hits. Brun, Kraus and Jenna Sands each had a hit as well, and Kraus reached base on error once. 

The Huskies (22-6) move on to face No. 4 Lisbon (34-8), who beat Central City 3-0 on Friday. 

The Huskies are on a seven-game winning streak that began with a 3-2 walk-off win over WMU on June 28. 

“Everybody contributed,” Wieland said about the 14-inning victory. “They did some things wrong, but everybody stayed together. And that is what they've done all year long.”