Highland baseball team continued their season last Friday and Sunday with a KJCCC series against Kansas City Kansas Community College.

On Friday the Scotties took on the Blue Devils at KCK and while Highland held leads in each game the Scotties ultimately fell 7-2 and 17-10, while then the Scotties turned around and played host to KCK in Atchison at Benedictine College on Sunday and battled again but fell 9-4 and 12-7. The four losses move the Scotties to 1-18 on the season and 0-8 in KJCCC play.

Game 1 on Friday at KCK
Highland kept the contest close early in the first game of the series with KCK tying the game in the top of the third with a pair of singles to open the inning and then a groundout by Jackson Rehkow to make it 1-1. Scotties took the 2-1 lead in the fourth on a Jason Gonzalez RBI single to left field but KCK answered with two runs in the bottom of the fourth and did the rest of the scoring plating four in the sixth handing the Scotties a tough 7-2 loss.

Gonzalez led the Scotties offense going 2-3 with a run scored and RBI, will Nick Schifftner had a double and Dalton Burt and Victor Sanchez each had a hit. On the mound Jake Schrock worked two and one-third innings as the starter giving up just one run on three hits and a walk, while Noah McClanahan tossed two and one-third innings and Austin Gottula worked and inning and a third.

Game 2 on Friday at KCK
Second game on Friday featured a multitude of runs with 27 scored between Highland and KCK. Highland got on the board in a big way in the top of the first as Alejandro Torres blasted a three-run homer with two outs giving the Scotties the early advantage. The lead unfortunately was short lived as the Scotties saw KCK score four in the bottom of the first to make it 4-3. Highland swung the lead back in the second behind a RBI double from Jordan McClellan and sac-fly from Dalton Burt to score two more for the Scotties and the scoring fest continued in the bottom of the second with two runs for KCK to give the Blue Devils a 6-5 lead. It remained that way until KCK tacked on a run in the fifth and then a three-run sixth by the Scotties scoring on RBI doubles from McClellan and Brendon Bond, along with a single by Victor Sanchez to lead by one 8-7. KCK tied the game in the seventh and then tagged the Scotties for nine runs in the eighth and Highland was unable to overcome that falling 17-10.

Highland had one of their strongest offensive showings of the season finishing with 12 hits in the game with a 4-5 contest by McClellan who had four RBI and two runs scored. Burt chipped in a two hit game while six other Scotties registered a hit with six extra base hits in the game. On the mound the Scotties used five pitchers in the contest with Max Milligan and Drake Seetin each tossing three innings. Highland surrendered 17 runs but only four earned and had six errors in the contest.

Game 1 on Sunday vs KCK
Yet to have a home game this season Highland got the closest thing to a home game this season on Sunday when they hosted KCK in Atchison at Benedictine College. In game one the Scotties fell down early but did not given up making a late push which just came up short in the contest. KCK got on the board with a three run in the second and added six more throughout the game before Highland got on the board in the bottom of the seventh. In the bottom seventh a single by Victor Sanchez, a hit by pitch drawn by Justin Rieschick and walk by Jordan McClellan loaded the bases for the Scotties and then a two RBI double by Nick Schifftner scored two for Highland and two more came in when Dalton Burt reached on an error but that would be it for the Scotties as Highland fell 9-4.

Schifftner had two of the team's four hits in the loss including a double, while Brendon Bond had a double and Sanchez recorded a hit and the Scotties drew seven walks. Burt started the contest working two innings giving up three runs on three hits, a walk and struckout one, while in relief Blake Robinson tossed a scoreless inning striking out the side.

Game 2 on Sunday vs KCK
In the series finale KCK took the early with a pair of runs in the top of the second but Highland was not rattled and in the bottom of the third took the lead with three runs in the frame. Pair of singles by Avery Miller and Victor Sanchez led the inning off and then an infield RBI single by Jackson Rehkow got the Scotties on the board, Dalton Burt with two-outs delivered a two RBI double to give Highland the 3-2 lead after three innings. KCK tied the game in the top of the fourth and then scored three in the fifth, two in the sixth, seventh and ninth innings. While the Scotties plated a run in the seventh and attempted another late comeback in the bottom of the ninth as Highland scored three highlighted by a Burt RBI double and RBI single by Conner Fiene.

Highland in the loss had 12 hits for the second time in the series led by Burt who was 3-5 with four RBI's with a pair of doubles, while Fiene and Rehkow each had two hits. Justin Rieschick tossed five innings as the starter giving up six runs on nine hits and two walks, while striking out three.

Scotties are back in action again in KJCCC play on Thursday, March 21^st when they travel to Overland Park for a doubleheader with Johnson County and then turn around and host the Cavaliers on Friday, March 22^nd in Highland with both doubleheaders slated for 1:00 & 3:00pm contests.