Softball Game Preview: Highlands Bluebirds vs. Pendleton County Wildcats

The Highlands Bluebirds will head out to challenge the Pendleton County Wildcats at 5:00 p.m. on Monday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Highlands has three straight victories, Pendleton County has five straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.

Highlands is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They blew past Boyle County 16-6 on Saturday. The Bluebirds might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five matchups by six runs or more this season.

Kaitlyn Dixon was a major factor no matter where she played. She struck out 11 batters over five innings while giving up five earned runs off seven hits. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in three consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 2-for-3.

Cam Markus

Runs (Career)

04/12/25 vs Boyle County	4
03/26/25 vs Lloyd Memorial	2
04/23/24 vs Newport Central Catholic	2
04/10/25 vs Seton	1
04/03/25 @ Boyd County	1

In other batting news, Highlands got a massive performance out of Cam Markus, who scored four runs and stole four bases while going 3-for-3. Those four runs gave Markus a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Payton Brown, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with one home run, three runs, and three RBI.

Highlands kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least nine hits in three consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Pendleton County took on East Jessamine on Saturday. The Wildcats lost 14-4 to the Jaguars.

Pendleton County's defeat dropped their record down to 1-6. As for Highlands, their record is now 10-5-1.

Highlands took their win against Pendleton County in their previous matchup back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 10-0 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Bluebirds since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.