MONROE CITY, Mo. - Highland found several ways to manufacture runs Saturday, and with Corinne Brinkley and a steady defense keeping Palmyra off the scoreboard, the Lady Cougars earned another opportunity to play for a district title. Top-seeded Highland drew 15 walks, scored in three different innings and finished off a 7-0 victory in the Class 2 District 5 semifinals at Monroe City High School.
The Lady Cougars improved to 23-8, advancing to Monday’s championship against the winner of Monroe City and Mark Twain. Palmyra finished its season at 11-13 after a competitive defensive effort kept Highland from putting the game away until the sixth inning.
Brinkley went the distance in the circle, allowing four hits and three walks while striking out four. The sophomore worked through Palmyra’s opportunities without allowing a run, backed by a Highland defense that finished without an error.
That support showed up immediately. After Leah Pontius reached to open the game, Keera Rothweiler fielded a ball at shortstop, stepped on second and threw to first for a double play. Emma Berry then tracked down a fly ball in right field to finish the inning, giving Highland an early example of the defense it would rely on throughout the afternoon.
Palmyra answered with strong glove work of its own. Avery Wisehart made a sliding catch in left field to take a hit away from Rothweiler in the bottom of the first, and the Lady Panthers continued making Highland earn its opportunities. Morgan Pillars and Lydia Steffen added catches in the infield as the game progressed, helping freshman pitcher Laney Weaver work around traffic on the bases.
Highland broke through in the second inning by combining patience with aggressive baserunning. Brinkley drew a walk, stole second and advanced to third on a groundout by Malia Thomas. Aspen Scifres reached on a fielder’s choice as Brinkley held at third, and a walk to Calyn Mathes loaded the bases. Alayna Logsdon brought home the first run with a sacrifice fly, and Berry later worked a bases-loaded walk to make it 2-0.
The Lady Panthers’ best chance to answer came in the fourth. Claire Swisher reached on a walk, Wisehart singled and Weaver drew another walk to load the bases with two outs. Brinkley kept the shutout intact by getting a groundout to second, leaving all three runners stranded and preserving Highland’s two-run advantage.
The Lady Cougars added to that margin in the bottom half. Logsdon singled and Rothweiler walked to help set up the inning, with Hannah Ritterbusch delivering a sacrifice fly to score Logsdon. Rothweiler later crossed on a wild pitch, extending Highland’s lead to 4-0.
Highland added three insurance runs in the sixth, an inning that included a bases-loaded walk to Thomas and an RBI fielder’s choice from Scifres. Brinkley then closed out the seventh, working around a two-out single by Reese Hudson before Scifres caught a foul pop-up for the final out.
For Highland coach Paul Scifres, the Lady Cougars’ willingness to take what was available at the plate helped make the difference.
“This team has been very patient all year,” Scifres said. “We attack balls in the zone, and we lay off those tough ones, and today that worked to our advantage.”
Highland finished with two hits, singles by Brinkley and Logsdon, but consistently created chances through its walks and movement on the bases. Berry drew four walks and drove in a run, while Rothweiler, Brinkley, Thomas and Mathes each walked twice. Brinkley scored twice, and Logsdon, Berry, Ritterbusch, Thomas and Scifres each recorded an RBI.
Scifres also credited the work that kept Palmyra from turning its own baserunners into runs.
“Corinne did a phenomenal job in the circle,” he said. “And defensively, the balls in play, we went and made the plays we were supposed to.”
Pillars, Wisehart, Weaver and Hudson each singled for Palmyra. Although the Lady Panthers were unable to break through offensively, coach Macy Bross praised their effort and the progress of a young team led by seniors Marney Plunkett and Riley Sutter.
“This is definitely by far the best game that they have played all year long, which is what you want at the end of the year,” Bross said. “Our outfield has been fantastic all year long, and they’ve got great range, and they really stepped up today for us.”
(This game recap is presented based upon the coverage of the Hometown Radio Sports Network. Any statistics given should be deemed as unofficial.)
