Highland baseball team once again hit the road late last week and picked up games against a team that was not on the original schedule as Mother Nature continues to force the Scotties to switch up the schedule and look for games away from Highland.

The Scotties traveled to Pratt, Kansas for three games against the Pratt Beavers and had some competitive action but suffered three losses falling 7-1 on Thursday, February 28th and then taking 3-1 and 13-2 losses the next day. The three losses move the Scotties to 1-10 on the season.

Game One
Justin Rieschick touted the rubber for the Scotties in the first game of the three game set against Pratt and while he pitched well the Beavers tagged him and the Scotties for a pair of early runs in the bottom of the first. Rieschick settled in nicely after that striking out the side in the bottom of the second and piling up eight strikeouts. But the Highland offense was unable to take advantage of a few base runners until finally working the bases loaded in the top of the seventh and getting a sacrifice fly from Nash Nickle to get their lone run across the plate but Pratt had tacked on five more runs and took the game 7-1.

In the loss Rieschick tossed five strong innings giving up four runs (three earned) on five hits and one walk, while striking out eight. Offensively the Scotties only mustered four hits with Nick Schifftner, Kenneth Vega, Conner Fiene and Dalton Burt each notching a hit.

Game Two
Scotties fell down early again as Pratt worked the bases loaded in the bottom of the first but Highland managed to limit the Beavers to just one run and trail just 1-0. It remain 1-0 until the top of the sixth as the Scotties in the bottom of the fifth wiggled out of another jam this time getting out of a bases loaded nobody out situation without giving up a run and then in the top of the sixth Jackson Rehkow put a sac fly into right field to bring in Jordan McClellan and Highland tied the game at 1-1. Pratt however answered in the bottom of the sixth by scratching two runs across and used that to take the 3-1 win over Highland.

In the loss Jake Schrock pitched two innings as the starter for the Scotties, while Noah McClanahan tossed three innings of relief giving up no runs on three hits and struckout eight. Scotties managed only two hits as McClellan had a double and Burt registered a hit.

Game Three
Unlike the first two games of the series the Scotties struck first in game three as Fiene put up a sac fly in the top of the first and the Scotties went up 1-0. The lead unfortunately was short lived as Highland surrendered five runs in the bottom of the first and trailed 5-1 after one inning of action. Pratt added another run in second, while the Scotties got another in the top of the third but a six run outburst by Pratt in the fifth inning helped push them to the 13-2 win.

Five different Highland pitchers saw action in the contest with none going over an inning and two-thirds in the loss, while offensively Nickle, Rehkow, Avery Miller and Victor Sanchez each recorded a hit. Pratt recorded 13 runs on 14 hits in the contest.

Highland now turns their attention to starting KJCCC play as the Scotties are scheduled for a home and home series with Fort Scott on Thursday, March 7^th and Friday, March 9^th. However with Highland Community ballpark still covered in snow the games will likely all be played in Fort Scott if Mother Nature does not postpone them overall. (Scotties game scheduled for Tuesday, March 5^th versus Graceland JV has been cancelled)