The Highland softball team scored a hotly contested Southeast Iowa Superconference win at home Thursday beating Iowa Mennonite 9-8 in eight innings.

In a game heard on KCII, it was the Huskies who struck first with a single run in the bottom of inning one when Aly Stokes brought in Kelsey Hora on an RBI ground out. IMS tied the game at one with a single tally in the third when Rubye Ney drove in Suzanna Yoder with an RBI single. The Huskies came right back with three runs in the bottom of the frame to take a 4-1 advantage with Hora and Sarah Schneider scoring on an IMS throwing error and Stokes coming home on a wild pitch. IMS climbed back into the contest with two of their own in the fifth, Ney drove in Yoder and Blauvelt drove in Ney to make it a 4-3 game. Highland counter punched with a pair in their half of the fifth with Abbie Miller and Brylee Carolan driving in one each to make it 6-3 Highland. IMS scored once in the sixth when Yoder drove in Rachel Miller to get within 6-4 going to the seventh.

Highland starter Megan Hoenig got the first two outs of the last frame quickly but IMS rallied with two down as Hannah Harris and Mia Graber singled. Rachel Miller then walked to load the bases. Alyssa Gonzales delivered an RBI knock that drove in Harris to make it 6-5 and Joya Schrock cracked an RBI single to left that brought in Miller and Graber to give IMS their first lead of the night at 7-6 and stun the Huskies temporarily. In the bottom of the frame it was IMS’s turn to try to hammer down a win and instead the Huskies rallied. IMS starter Hannah Harris got the first two outs of the inning but Miller kept Highland alive with a single, Brylee Carolan singled next and McKenna Winegarden smacked an RBI single to right center to tie the game. In the eighth IMS took another lead when Harris drove in Ney to go up 8-7. With another chance to get the final three outs and a win IMS could not hold the lead as the Huskies loaded the bases with no one out. A Kylie Wood RBI walk tied the game and Aly Stokes won it on an infield single that drove in Schneider.

Hora led the way for the Huskies with three hits and two runs scored. Shaylon Kirk got the win in relief going an inning and two thirds, giving up one run. Yode rled IMS with four hits, two runs scored and one driven in. With the win Highland is now 14-3 on the year. IMS falls to 4-7.