The Highlands Bluebirds will square off against the Dixie Heights Colonels at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Highlands' pitching crew has only allowed 3.7 runs per game this season, so Dixie Heights' hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Conner hit Highlands with a five-run second inning on Wednesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Bluebirds took a 7-4 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Cougars. Bluebirds fans who chose to attend the game sure picked the wrong one: it was the first time the team's lost against the Cougars since on Wednesday.
Highlands got a good showing from Patrick Davidson, who tossed four innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off four hits. What's more, Davidson gave up only zero walks, the fewest he's had since back in March.
On the hitting side, Finn Bouldin made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 1-for-2 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Nolan Schwalbach, who went 1-for-3 with one run and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Dixie Heights fought the good fight in their extra-innings contest against St. Henry on Wednesday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Crusaders by a score of 7-6. Surprisingly, this marked the Colonels' fifth straight game in which the away team has come away the victor.
Owen Stulz and Carson Guenther did some serious damage despite the final result: Stulz got on base in four of his six plate appearances with four stolen bases and two runs, while Guenther went 3-for-5 with one triple, one stolen base, and one run. Stulz has become a key player for Dixie Heights: the team is 3-1 when he posts at least two stolen bases, but 12-13 otherwise. Austin Krohmer was another key player, getting on base in three of his six plate appearances with one stolen base and one RBI.
With the defeat, Dixie Heights broke their four-game winning streak and moved their record to 15-14. As for Highlands, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost three of their last four games. That's put a noticeable dent in their 18-9-2 record this season.
Highlands beat Dixie Heights 5-1 in their previous matchup back in April of 2023. Will the Bluebirds repeat their success, or do the Colonels have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
