On a day where the sun came out to say hello for most of the game, the Lions hosted fellow Southeast Iowa Super Conference member, the Huskies, on June 8. Once the dust settled on this SEISC matchup it was Highland (5-6) who emerged victorious over Lone Tree (1-6), 11-2.

This win for Highland stops a three-game losing streak and dating back to 2011 this win also makes it eight victories in-a-row over Lone Tree. Lone Tree has now lost three-games in a row after its lone victory of the season against Wapello on June 2.

After a scoreless inning the Huskies would be the team to get on the board first in the top of the second. 

The inning began with Highland sophomore Logan McFarland walking to first base after Lone Tree pitcher, senior Joe Boxwell, inadvertently hit McFarland with the ball. Another Huskie, eighth grader Landon Roling, would get onto base after getting walked. 

Highland senior Ethan Simpson would then hit a single, allowing McFarland to score. Later on, in the inning sophomore William Dunbar would hit a sacrificial pop-fly which brought in Roling for the score. Lone Tree would not be able to respond in the bottom of the inning and Highland would hold a 2-0 lead going into the third. 

The Huskies were able to double up their score in the top of the third, scoring twice after McFarland and junior Tristin Richardson came home after a double from eighth grader Garrett Beeson. 

Two more runs would be tacked on to Highland’s score after two more innings played, from senior Peyton Yeggy in the fourth and Beeson in the fifth. The Lions would find themselves trailing by six entering the sixth and after Highland scored four more times in the top of the innings the deficit would balloon up to 10.

The bottom of the sixth is where Lone Tree would score its first run. After senior Drew Gauley and senior Mathew Hemsted were walked by Yeggy a pitching change occurred. Coming in for Yeggy would be eighth grader Hunter Seibel. 

Lone Tree junior Ethan Bockelman would send Gauley home for the score off of his hit, but he also ended up out at first, unable to reach the base before the throw got there. The inning would end with Lone Tree now trailing by nine. 

The final inning both teams would score one more time, senior Ethan Paisley would score for Highland and freshman Mayson Hemsted would score for Lone Tree, and the game would end with a Highland victory, 11-2. 

Yeggy pitched five innings for Highland and ended the game with 10 strikeouts, but hit four Lone Tree batters while Seibel, who pitched two innings, had one strikeout. 

Boxwell would finish the game with two strikeouts and Hemsted, who took over pitching duties for Lone Tree in the fifth inning, struck out three Highland batters. 

WMU 6, Lone Tree 5

Before their matchup with Highland the Lions went on the road to battle against fellow Southeast Iowa Super Conference member, the Winfield-Mt Union Wolves, on June 6. Lone Tree would end up dropping this game against the Wolves in a close one, 6-5.   

It was a quiet game on offense for both teams through four innings, with each team still sporting a zero on the scoreboard. Lone Tree would break this scoreless trend in the fifth, bringing in two runs to take the lead, but WMU would answer with one run of its own in the bottom of the fifth. 

In the next inning the Lions would run in two scores once again but this time the Wolves would match them, scoring twice as well, ending the sixth inning with a 4-3 Lone Tree lead. 

The Lions would increase their lead after scoring once in the top of the seventh. Needing to tie the game to force extra innings or take the lead to earn a walk-off victory the Wolves would enter the bottom of the seventh facing a two-run deficit. WMU would score three times to snatch the victory away from the Lions and complete the comeback. 

Senior Caden Smith was the leading scorer for Lone Tree with two runs scored. Pitching for the Lions was senior Mathew Hemsted and sophomore Jack Patterson. Hemsted pitched in one innings and recorded two strikeouts. Allowing three hits. Patterson, who pitched in five innings, ended his day with eight strikeouts, allowing five hits.

Lone Tree (1-8) stayed home to battle Central Lee (7-5) on June 14 and then they went on the road to face off against Louisa-Muscatine (6-6) on June 15. Up next, the Lions will host Pekin (4-10) on June 16.