The Highland Community College baseball team took a step backwards over the week-end,
losing the first three games against Neosho County before winning game four.

In game one, Highland jumped to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning as Tyler Goldsberry
(Omaha, NE) led off with a triple and scored on a sacrifice fly by Tyler Lane (Papillion, NE).
The lead did not last long as Neosho County took advantage of a hit batter and a walk to score
two runs in the bottom of the inning, taking a 2-1 lead. The Panthers extended their lead to 4-
1 in the second inning on a two run double. The lead would hold up as the Scotties were unable

to come up with big hits while hitting into two inning-ending double plays and falling to Neosho
County by 6-2. Andrew Standish (Millard, NE) and Alex Head (Topeka) had two hits each for
Highland. Justin Paul (Papillion, NE) plated the Scotties’ other run with an RBI double in the
sixth inning.

In game two, Neosho County took advantage of walks and Highland errors to rally for a 9-5 win
over the Scotties. Highland scored three runs in the top of the fourth inning to erase a 3-2 deficit,
as Goldsberry, Standish, and Paul each had run-scoring hits, giving the Scotties a 5-3 lead. But,
in the bottom of the inning, Neosho County used an error, a two-run home run, two singles, and
two walks to regain the lead 6-5, and then put the game away, scoring three unearned runs in the
bottom of the sixth, using a walk and two Scottie errors. Highland had twelve hits in the game,
but left ten runners stranded. Goldsberry, Craig Hill (Morris, OK), Joe Mancuso ((Papillion,
NE), and Jesse Richel (Morris, OK) each had two hits for the Scotties. Standish hit his seventh
home run of the season leading off the third inning.

In game three, Neosho County took advantage of two Scottie errors to score three two-out runs
in the bottom of the third inning to take a 3-0 lead, and then went on to defeat Highland 7-0, as
the Scotties were limited to just three hits in the game.

In game four, Nick Sarmiento (Saginaw, MI) pitched 6 1/3 strong innings, allowing just two runs
on seven hits, while striking out eight Panther hitters in leading HCC to a 5-2 win in the final
game of the series. The Scotties held a 2-1 lead going into the seventh inning where they got run
scoring hits from Jordon Oddo (Grain Valley, MO), Brandyn Wahnee (Morris, OK), and Craig
Hill, giving Highland a 5-1 lead going into the bottom of the seventh. Neosho County tried to
rally, using a walk and a one-out double to make the score 5-2, then got two walks around a
ground out to load the bases before reliever Tyler Goldsberry got a pop out to shortstop to end
the game and pick-up a save. Justin Paul, Alex Head, and Jesse Richel each had two hits to lead
HCC hitters.
--hcc--