The Highland softball team capped off their long road trip over Spring Break by playing their toughest opponent of the trip as the #14 Scotties took on #6 Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in Perkinston, Mississippi.

Scotties battled in game one but took a tough 2-0 loss but responded in big fashion by taking game two 5-3 to split the doubleheader.

Early baserunners were generated by the Scotties in the first and second innings but Highland was unable to score, while Mississippi Gulf Coast plated an early run in the bottom of the first inning and another in the second on a home run. Scottie defense and pitching kept them in the contest as Elizabeth Hays threw out a runner at second from left field, while Allyssa Griggs turned an unassisted double play at first base. The Highland offense however worked only three more base runners in contest after the second inning and fell 2-0.

Bailey Lacy in the loss threw a strong game inside the circle surrendering two runs on seven hits and one walk recording three strikeouts. Offensively Alyssa Wesley, Sirena Salazar and Hays each recorded a hit in game one as the Scotties had just three hits in the contest.

Game two Highland jumped out to the early advantage as Chevelle Sartin led the first inning off with a single followed by walks from Isabella Konieczka and Griggs to load the bases. Kelly Uthe put a ball in play and brought in the first run of the game on a fielder's choice, which was followed by a RBI single by Wesley and sac-fly by Lora Shinn to make it 3-0. Scotties wiggled out of a jam in the bottom of the first as two errors generated two runners for the Bulldogs of MGCCC but the Scotties after the second error manage to pick off both runners on the same play.

In the third the Bulldogs knotted the game up at 3-3two walks and two doubles but the Scotties were not rattled answering in the top of the sixth as Wesley led the inning off with a double off the wall and Hannah Schmidt tattooed a double off the wall to score Wesley making it 4-3. Highland tacked on an insurance run in the sixth on a RBI double by Salazar and Sarah Bond entered the game for starter Uthe and recorded the final five outs to help Highland claim the 5-3 win.

At the plate the Scotties were led by Sartin who was 3-4 with a run scored, while Konieczka, Wesley and Schmidt each had a pair of hits. Konieczka went 2-2 with two walks and two stolen bases, while Wesley was 2-4 with a double, run scored and RBI and Schmidt went 2-3 with a double, run scored and RBI. In the circle Uthe tossed five and one-third innings giving up just three runs, on six hits and two walks, while Bond entered in the sixth and recorded the final five outs of the game to earn the save.

With the split the Scotties finished the road trip to Alabama and Mississippi with an 8-1 record in the nine games played, while improving to 10-4 on the season overall. Highland is set to continue their season on the road at Kansas City Kansas Community College when they open KJCCC play with a doubleheader against the Blue Devils on Thursday, March 21^st.