Scots Carry Momentum Into Rowlett Series

Strong pitching has been a constant for Highland Park this season. The Scots will face Rowlett in the area round of the playoffs this weekend. (Photo: Chris McGathey)
Strong pitching has carried Highland Park into the second round of the playoffs. The Scots will face Rowlett this weekend. (Photo: Chris McGathey)

If Highland Park had a hint of complacency after finishing the regular season with 21 straight wins, last weekend offered a chance to refocus.

Despite being a heavy favorite, the Scots had to rally for a narrow bi-district series win over Irving MacArthur to open the Class 6A Region II playoffs.

Next up is Rowlett in the area round, with a best-of-three series that opens at 7:30 p.m. tonight at Scotland Yard. The action shifts to Rowlett on Friday, and will return to HP on Saturday, if necessary, for a decisive third game.

As they have all season, the Scots (27-6) relied on solid pitching and timely hitting to eliminate the Cardinals. HP allowed less than one run per game on average in District 10-6A play, and surrendered just five runs total against MacArthur behind the pitching triumvirate of Grant Howell, William Adair, and Sawyer Lake.

Howell came through for a 2-1 win in the decisive third game against the Cardinals, with Kyle Burnett providing the heroics at the plate.

Rowlett’s pitching also was stingy during a bi-district sweep of Waco Midway for the second straight year. The Eagles, who finished third in District 11-6A during the regular season, won 5-1 and 2-1.

The winner of the series could meet Jesuit in the regional quarterfinals next week (if the Rangers get past Belton). Jesuit eliminated both Rowlett and HP in consecutive weekends in 2015 on its way to a state tournament berth.

Share this article...
Email this to someone
email
Share on Facebook
Facebook
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
Share on LinkedIn
Linkedin

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.