COUGARS ADVANCE, EYE BACK-TO-BACK DISTRICT TITLES

Lewistown, MO – The Highland Lady Cougars opened Class 2 District 5 play with a 16-6 win over the Palmyra Lady Panthers to advance to the championship game. The Panthers had advanced after defeating the Mark Twain Lady Tigers in the first round. Palmyra turned to Riley Sutter to start in the circle, while the Cougars countered with Corrine Brinkley.

The Cougars backed Brinkley early, holding the Panthers scoreless in the first inning. Highland came out swinging in the bottom half as RBIs from Addy Abell, Abby Lay, and Allie Lundberg put the Cougars up 3-0. Palmyra remained hitless in the second as Catherine Darnell picked up a groundout and Brinkley handled a pair of plays to end the inning.

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Corrine Brinkley heads to the dug out after a strikeout ends the inning

In the bottom of the second, Kierra Rothweiler got an in-the-park home run after a collision in center field. Abell followed it up with her own shot to left field into the wind, extending Highland’s lead to 5-0 and forcing a pitching change for the Panthers. Zola Meyers would come in for Riley Sutter.

Palmyra answered in the third, scoring four runs to make it a one-run game. But the Cougars quickly responded. A Darnell RBI single added a run before Brinkley cleared the bases with an inside-the-park home run. Rothweiler scored on an error after stealing second, and courtesy runner Thomas crossed the plate on a passed ball. By the end of the third, Highland had stretched its lead to 10-4.

The Panthers added a pair in the fourth to make it 10-6 and held the Cougars off the board that inning. But the Highland defense settled in again during the fifth, and the bats came alive. Rothweiler opened the inning with a lead-off home run to right. A pair of walks and an error loaded the bases before a walk to Lundberg brought home Thomas to make it 12-6.

Kierra Rothweiler hypes up the dug out after her home run

Brinkley’s night ended in the sixth after a lead-off walk, as Calyn Mathes came in to close things out. The defense backed her up with a fielder’s choice and a double play to get out of the inning. Rothweiler started the bottom half with a double, and Abell brought her in with an RBI single to center. Bailie Crist reached on an error, and Lay drove in Abell with a groundout. Ritterbusch followed with an RBI single, putting Highland one run away from the mercy-rule win. Allie Lundberg finished it off with a hit to right, scoring Ritterbusch and ending the game.

Allie Lundberg heads to celebrate with the team after the game ending run scores.

After the game, Head Coach Paul Scifres talked about how proud he was of his team’s effort. “Anytime you get a win this time of year in a district tournament, it doesn’t matter what seed you are,” Scifres said. “It’s always going to be good softball and pressure situations. I thought the girls responded fantastically. Had a great approach at the plate, saw the ball well, ran the bases well, and put a lot of pressure on Palmyra. But we knew we had to play well.”

The Cougars advance to the Class 2 District 5 Championship game. The game will take place at Highland High School on Saturday, October 18th, at 1:00 PM CST. The Cougars look to claim their second straight District Title as they face the Paris Lady Coyotes in the championship match.