RIVERSIDE

The conference champions from a year ago, the Wapello Arrows, came to town aiming to secure a series sweep over Highland, but the Huskies had other plans.

Giving up zero runs, Highland (12-7) evened the season series against Wapello (12-12) with a 3-0 victory on June 20. 

A gratifying win for the Huskies, who have dropped the last four contests against the Arrows, they improved their conference record to 9-3 and shut out an opponent for the eighth time this season. 

“I am just super proud of how they were excited and knew they could do it and did the things they needed to do,” Highland coach Carrie Wieland said about the win. “We’ve always bunted and it’s our short game, so getting those runs across was key to that and I’m super proud of that.” 

Two scoreless innings went by before Highland junior Lilly Barre connected on a base hit to bring home Kamryn Fink in the bottom of the third. This gave Highland a lead they never relinquished.

  The game remained close as two more scoreless innings transpired. In a battle of senior pitcher’s, Wapello’s Ada Boysen and Highland’s Grace Prybil were not willing to give up an inch. 

“[Boysen] is just a really good pitcher and we know that going in,” coach Carrie Wieland said. “So, we just try to do our game and I think that was the first time we really did play well, knowing what she throws.”

Despite the tough defense, Highland was able to break through on offense once again in the sixth when Barre went up to bat and proceeded to blast the ball out of the park for a solo home run, her first of the year. 

  “It was just her time to shine,” coach Wieland said about Barre’s first HR of the season. 

With momentum on their side Highland followed up the HR with another run, scored by Mackenzie Davis off a sacrificial RBI hit by Courtney Chalupa, and went into the seventh with a 3-0 lead. 

Wapello had only the bottom of the inning to attempt a comeback and after two outs they were able to load the bases, but before they could do any damage the Huskies got the third out to secure their victory. 

Going the distance on the mound, Prybil put together a great game as the starting pitcher for Highland. 

“Grace worked really well in the off season,” coach Wieland said about Prybil. “I think in her pitches sometimes she gets a little nervous and a little tight at the end of the game, but I’m super proud of her and she pulled this one off.”

The senior pitcher retired five batters, gave up six hits, and allowed three walks in the win.

On offense, Highland had five hits. Barre led the team with two hits and two RBIs. 

“Batting, we’ve gotten 110% better than we were at the beginning of the year, and our pitching is getting better as we go. On defense, we’ve changed some things up,” coach Wieland said about how her team has improved compared to the start of the season. 

“We got a lot of young kids, an eighth grader at centerfield, an eighth grader on third and my seniors are just doing a phenomenal job helping them and teaching them and bringing them into the system so they know what to do after they’re gone.” 

Louisa-Muscatine 4, Highland 3

Earlier in the week, the Huskies (10-7) suffered a close loss on the road against the conference leading Louisa-Muscatine Falcons (17-3) on June 18.  

As a team Highland had 10 hits with Sarah Burton putting together a great game on offense. Burton went three for four at bat, connecting on a home run and two doubles. She also had one RBI and scored two runs. 

The loss on the mound went to Grace Prybil. She pitched in six innings, struck out three, gave up eight hits, and allowed no walks. 

Highland 10, Mediapolis 0

Avoiding back-to-back losses, the Huskies (11-7) earned a shutout victory at home against the Mediapolis Bulldogs (8-6) on June 19. 

Ending this contest in four innings, Highland scored three in the first, four more times in the second, twice in the third, and once more in the fourth. 

Highland had a total of ten hits on offense with Courtney Chalupa and Kamryn Fink leading the team with two hits each. Payton Brun had a team high two RBIs. 

Getting the win on the mound was sophomore Adisyn Prottsman. She had five strikeouts, gave up three hits, and allowed one walk. 

Washington Tourney

Over the weekend the Huskies went on the road to participate in the Eddie Jones Memorial Invitational at Washington.
Splitting a pair of games, Highland defeated the Griswold Tigers, 7-3, and were defeated by the Assumption Knights, 2-1. 

In the win against the Tigers, the Huskies found themselves tailing by one run after three innings played. In the fourth, Highland took control by scoring three to erase their deficit and take the lead. 

Highland added two more to their lead in the fifth before both teams went scoreless in the last two innings. 

Leading the team on offense was Sarah Burton and Adisyn Prottsman with a team leading two hits each. When it came to RBIs both Payton Brun and Kamryn Fink lead the team with two. 

Highland senior Grace Prybil received the win on the mound, striking out four, giving up five hits, and allowing two walks. 

In the loss against the Knights, the Huskies took the first lead of the game when they scored a single run in the third, but Assumption was able to tie the game in the fourth. 

Two more scoreless innings went by before the Knights scored the game winning run in the seventh to emerge victorious in a contest where runs were hard to come by. 

Highland had three hits as a team with eight graders Mayia Singbeil, Kamryn Fink, and senior Sarah Burton all being responsible for one hit each. 

The loss on the mound went to Prottsman. The sophomore recorded three strikeouts, gave up three hits, and allowed zero walks. 

Highland 17, New London 0

Pouring on the points in the sixth, the Huskies had a successful road trip when they earned a shutout victory over the New London Tigers (2-15) on June 24.

After scoring one run in the first and one in the third, Highland built up a 5-0 lead by scoring three more in the fifth. The sixth is where the Huskies put the final nail in the coffin, scoring 12 to end the game in their favor.  

Going three for four at bat, senior Payton Brun had a phenomenal offensive performance for Highland. Brun hit a home run, two singles, and ended with a team leading eight RBIs. She also scored three runs. 

Getting the win as the starting pitcher was Adisyn Prottsman. The sophomore pitched in all six innings, retiring 10 batters, only giving up one hit, and two walks. 

Up next for Highland (14-8) is a home game against the Winfield-Mt Union (5-16) on June 27.