HS Baseball: Highlanders Complete Perfect Run Through District Following 8-3 Home Win

THE WOODLANDS, TX -- The Woodlands Highlanders handled business in an 8-3 win over the Oak Ridge War Eagles at Scotland Yard to end the regular season with a perfect record in 13-6A.

A nail-biting performance and two-run homer in the top of the seventh from Erich Daigle secured the win for the Highlanders on Tuesday, but more clinical execution would be needed if the home squad hoped to secure their final win of the regular season.

Daigle reprised his heroic performances on the mound throughout the season by limiting the production of the typically explosive War Eagles during his five-inning tenure.

Despite Oak Ridge putting runners on base in every inning Daigle pitched in, the sound fielding from the Highlander defense silenced the bats while stranding a total of six War Eagle runners through five.

Highlight-reel plays from guys like Jack Smejkal and Cash McWorter ensured that the hits put in play by Oak Ridge rarely found the dirt for productive plate appearances.

In an exclusive interview with The Woodlands Online Sports, Highlander Head Coach Ron Eastman praised a number of his players for their efforts in the field and the adjustments the team made following the series opener.

“Tuesday was a little different for us, but tonight, we played well,” said Eastman. “Jack [Smejkal] made some great plays, Holifeld was really smart today, and McWorter ran down a bunch of balls that an average outfielder wouldn't have.”

With the Oak Ridge batters being ineffective through the first five innings, the Highlander bats were free to build momentum early and explode onto the scoreboard for a game-clinching stretch of runs.

Zero runs and Smejkal stranded in the first was an unwelcome stretch, but two runs in the second on a two-run RBI triple from Max McCraray was a helpful change that surged The Woodlands on the board early.

Speecy base-running from McWorter and Daigle was enough to secure the first two runs of the game. However, more damage from the bats in the third and fourth innings would seal the deal.

Four more runs from a wild pitch, Daigle RBI, and a two-run homer from designated hitter Gus Bickett ate away at the heart of the Oak Ridge defense by finding multiple weak points in their stances.

The damage from The Woodlands' hitters was so significant that Oak Ridge decided to pull their starter and entrusted the rest of the game to Jacob Howard. While Howard did eventually end the inning, the damage would continue to come.

Gian Fernandez added the last insurance runs for The Woodlands in their 8-0 lead by bringing in the two runners ahead of him on a RBI single.

“Offense is contagious,” explained Eastman. “Pitching travels, so if you have pitching and defense, it’ll be at every ball game. But right now, we’re really tough to pitch to. It’s a coach’s dream as far as in high school, because some guys might be easy outs, but we don’t have that right now.”

Following the five-inning stretch of Highlander runs and sound fielding, the decision was made to sit Daigle for the rest of the game and bring in McCraray. But while the previous outfielder settled in, the War Eagles feasted on the looks they were given to eat into the lead for the first time.

After leaving six runner on through five, the War Eagles relied on their discipline at the plate to rack up multiple walks before McCraray could find his groove. The walks were so frequent that four consecutive were dealt before the first out while giving Oak Ridge its first run of the game.

Then, Jonell Rodriguez slapped a single into the outfield for a two-run RBI that brought the game to an 8-3 Woodlands lead.

Luckily for the Highlanders, motivation from within and from teammates fueled McCraray through the finish.

Not only did McCraray escape the top of the sixth without conceding more than three runs, but he confidently struck out two out of three batters in the top of the seventh to secure the 8-3 win and a perfect run through the district for The Woodlands.

Players chased Eastman down in the infield to give him the celebratory cooler shower, but the drenched Head Coach was all smiles following the hard-earned stretch.

“The guys earned it. They worked hard all year,” said Eastman. “That was one of their goals was to bring a district championship back while running the table like that. It was special for them.”

Now both the Highlanders and War Eagles will wait for their playoff opponents to be decided, with The Woodlands getting prepared for the Division I bracket and Oak Ridge settling into Division II.

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