After getting their trip to Texas cancelled because of rain the Highland baseball team found some replacement games in a three-game series against Pratt played in Dodge City, Kansas and the Scotties picked up a three-game series sweep.
Scotties picked a 6-5 win in nine innings in walk-off fashion to open the series and then shutout Pratt for a 2-0 win in game two of the series. To wrap up the series on Sunday the Scotties went 12 innings and earned a 5-4 walk-off win. The 3-0 weekend move the Scotties to 4-1 on the season.
Game One – 6-5 win (9 innings)
Game one saw Pratt take the early lead 1-0 in the first inning and then the Beavers tallied four runs in the top of the sixth to lead 5-0. Scotties responded in the bottom of the sixth with a run as a
Jhors Gomez triple brought in a run. Highland then capitalized on a pair of Pratt errors in the bottom of the seventh partnered with a two hits and scored four runs to tie the game. The game then went extra innings and in the bottom of the ninth after
Alejandro Torres reached on a single and would score the game winning run on a
Victor Sanchez single lifting Highland to the 6-5 win in nine innings.
Sanchez went 3-5 in the win with a double, run scored and RBI, while Gomez was 2-4 with two RBI, double, triple and walk.
Avery Miller and
Jason Dudzik each recorded two hits in the game as the Scotties notched 13 total hits. On the mound
Austin Gottula earned the win in relief tossing 3.2 innings giving up just one run on five hits and a walk while striking out four.
Jared Wells tossed 5.1 innings and got the start.
Game Two – 2-0 win
Game two saw the Scotties first shutout of a NJCAA foe since the April of the 2017 season as the Scotties picked up the 2-0 win.
Scotties started the scoring in the bottom of the first inning as a double by
Jhors Gomez scored a run and Highland tacked on another run in the bottom of the sixth behind a
Victor Sanchez home run. On the mound
Jacob Gajic tossed a gem seeing only four Pratt batters reach base against him in four innings.
Gajic earned the win tossing six scoreless innings giving up just two hits while striking out six and
Bryan Rollin earned the save tossing the final inning and recording the final three outs on just six pitches. Offensively Gomez was 2-3 with two doubles, while Sanchez went 1-3 with a run score and RBI.
Game Three – 5-4 win (12 innings)
Looking for the three-game sweep the Scotties brought out the brooms on Sunday as the Scotties earned a 5-4 win in 12 innings in a schedule nine inning game.
Bottom of the fourth saw the first runs of the game as the Scotties saw
Jhors Gomez lead the inning off with a double and
Isaac Nunez followed with a single then back-to-back sacrifice flies gave Highland the 2-0 lead through four innings. Pratt battled back to plate four innings in the top of the ninth to take the lead. Needing runs to win or keep the game alive the Scotties answered getting three-straight singles to open the ninth including an RBI single by
Jorge Luis Burgos and then scored another run to tie the game at 4-4. Game worked itself to the 12
th inning and in the bottom of the 12
th Jason Dudzik brought in
Jaeden Rodriguez with a walk-off single to push the Scotties to the 5-4 win.
Gomez again had a strong day at the plate for Highland going 3-5 with two runs and a double, while Nunez was 2-3 with a run scored and two walks. Burgos posted a 1-4 game with two RBI and a run scored.
Joan Gonzalez got the start and went 4.2 scoreless innings giving up three hits and three walks, and struckout eight.
Bryan Rollin earned the win and save tossing the final inning, recording the final three outs on just seven pitches.
Highland baseball looks to continue to build on the strong weekend as they travel to Harrison, Arkansas to play North Arkansas College in a three-game series on Friday and Saturday, February 21
st and 22
nd.
