The Highland baseball team completed its first four game series of the 2018 season with a sweep of the Bethany College Swedes JV team. All four games saw double-digit points scored by the Scotties; with all four also run ruled in the 5^th and 6^th innings. Highland Baseball is now 4-2 on the year with their next game at Ottawa University JV being post-poned. The team is scheduled to host State Fair Community College on Thursday with a double-header starting at 1:00PM.
 
GAME ONE
                                R   H  E            
Highland 4 9 2 6 2  23 19  1
Bethany  0 0 2 3 0   5   6   0
 The Scotties 23 runs scored beat last year's best of 21 of most points scored in a game since 2004.
Chris Procopio made a huge statement in his first at bat hitting a home run. Mason Nagle and Ke'Shawn Ballard both followed with singles to start an eventual 4-0 lead.
Zaine Foth-Thomas started on the mound for Highland pitching 3.1 innings with Rafael Lara coming in to close in the bottom of the 4^th after the Swedes put five runs on the board. Both pitchers threw three strikeouts a piece compared to the Swedes with only three total.
Nine runs off of six hits in the top of the 2^nd came out to be the best inning for Highland. Nine Scotties were hit by the pitch and seven were walked throughout the five innings.
Twenty-three pitching errors were made by the Swedes, resulting in runs earned by Highland with a 23-5 victory.
 
GAME TWO
                                   R  H E
Highland 2 0 0 0 10  12  8  0
Bethany  0 0 0 0  0    0   1  3
Another home run started game two by sophomore Ke'Shawn Ballard. Robbins hit an RBI double to left field to help a 2-0 lead and the Scotties would not see another run until the 5^th inning.
Liam Fox performed well pitching all five innings, with only one hit by the Swedes in the 3^rd inning.
The top of the 5^th saw all the action behind a 3 RBI triple by freshman Tanner Williams expanded the lead 7-0. Five more runs scored by the Scotties retired the game in five innings, 12-0.
 
GAME THREE
                                  R   H   E
Bethany  0 2 0 1 4 0  7   4   7
Highland 4 4 2 0 3 5 18 13   3
The third game of the series was the first home game held at the Highland Community Ballpark. The team had 18 total runs scored on 13 hits and 31 at bats led by Mason Nagle who went 3-3 with 5 RBI's. Josue Ortiz hit his first home run as a Scottie in the bottom of the 2^nd to help a 6-2 lead.
Noah Robertson saw the mound for 4.1 innings with four strike-outs. Skyler Zirkle saw three batters before Chris Giordano came in to finish out the game.
Bethany scored four runs late in the 5^th off a Scottie error to try and close the gap down 7-10 but the bats were moving for Highland ending with a 2 RBI triple by Ballard to end the game early in the sixth to win 18-7.
 
GAME FOUR
                                 R   H E
Bethany  0 0 0  0  2  2   2  2
Highland 1 1 1 11 x 14 13 1
Game four was powerful defensively led by freshman Justin Reischick who had a no-hitter going in his first collegiate showing. Tanner Williams went 2 for 2 in two at bats with a homerun in the 2nd and an RBI double in the bottom of the 4th. Nagle went 3 for 5 with 1 run scored and 5 RBI's. Ballard hit his 3rd home run of the season to help lead the Scotties to finish the sweep winning the final game 14-2.