HS Baseball: Early Runs Secure Dub for The Highlanders

THE WOODLANDS, TX -- The Woodlands Highlanders (14-4-1) defended their home diamond in a 4-0 combined shutout against the Willis Wildkats (6-8-3) by stacking the runs early.

Signs of what was to come showed early against Willis, with their first inning being the difference-maker throughout the rest of the game.

A lead-off double from Zadin Cannon got the team off on the right foot, but lockdown fielding from The Woodlands put the next three batters to bed in quick succession.

In an exclusive interview with The Woodlands Online Sports, Highlander Head Coach Ron Eastman discussed the team’s assessment of Willis and how they were prepared to face an enigmatic opponent.

“They’re a scrappy group. They had a good first inning with their lead-off hitting that double,” said Eastman. “I give all credit to Erich [Daigle] and the defense for coming up and not letting that run in. That was a big momentum changer for us.”

The Woodlands’ chances to hit in the first succeeded in putting players on base while letting the strong bats bring the runners home with room to spare.

A one-out hit by pitch drawn by Cash McWhorter put the first runner on the bags for The Woodlands before a shot to the outfield from Jack Smejkal brought him home for the game’s opening run.

“We like to come with energy knowing that winning every pitch is what really decides a close game,” said Smejkal. “Keeping [Willis] without free bases and base runners early in the game allowed us to jump on them with a big lead.”

Smejkal was immediately followed up by another double, this time from Caleb Holifield. The deep ball sent outfielders running to make a play, but they couldn’t beat the speedy Smejkal before touching home for a 2-0 Highlander lead.

The final blow of the first inning came on a missed pitch that brought Holifield home for free, putting The Woodlands up 3-0 with plenty of game to be played.

“There’s not really a whole lot you can do other than working on having a good mindset at the plate,” said Eastman on the team’s early lead. “Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.”

Following The Woodlands’ opening burst, both sides engaged in a lengthy series of defensive play and steady pitching, holding one another scoreless for the next four complete innings.

The Highlanders threatened multiple times with runners in scoring position, including a second inning with the bases loaded, but the Wildkats continually found ways to escape. Either clutch pitching from Shey Holliday found a big strike or an untimely out ended a would-be Highlander run.

Meanwhile, Willis failed to find any meaningful traction at the plate due to revamped pitching from Daigle.

The second inning was the only major instance of solid hitting for the Wildkats, which ended in no runners coming home. But a stretch of three straight innings of three consecutive outs prevented Willis from getting anyone aboard.

Daigle continued to deal from the mound, striking out five batters on the day while tossing a total of 96 pitches.

“Erich didn’t have the best control in the first two innings, but he battled through it,” said Eastman. “We played good defense behind him, and once he had the lead, he settled down while in good cruise control.”

The lengthy gap of no runs carried into the bottom of the sixth, where the Highlanders looked to put the finishing touches on their district win.

Lead-off batting from Chase Bradley got him aboard via Willis’ second hit batter of the game. A speedy courtesy runner in Tanner Farnsworth managed to advance to second on a steal before a Daigle deep shot to right field fell out of the glove of the Wildkat fielder.

The error got Daigle to third while pushing Farnsworth home for the fourth and final run of the game.

“We come out here to play our hardest. No matter who is in the stands or who we’re playing, we just have to play our game,” said Smejkal. “Because at the end of the day, it’s ourselves who may ultimately beat us.”

Willis’ last gasp saw Holifield take over on the mound for The Woodlands to face the presumed last batters of the day.

Unfortunately for the Wildkats, four batters, a lonely single, and three outs were all that the Wildkats could muster in their last-ditch attempt to come back.

The Woodlands’ 4-0 shutout keeps the team well on their way to the top of the district standings, but the tasks ahead of them have to be overcome by continuing their expected level of play on the field.

“We just can’t have a letdown,” explained Eastman. “Caney Creek hasn’t played a game this week. They had the bye, so they have had chances to line up their pitching while staying fresh. That’s a trap game. We’ve heard good things about them, and we just can’t show up tomorrow, or bad things will happen.”

Caney Creek awaits the Highlanders in another afternoon matchup, while Willis will aim to bounce back against Cleveland in a 4:00 road game.

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