Things were tight early Monday in Riverside, but the Highland softball team pulled away late to take a 12-0 season opening win over Hillcrest Academy.

The Huskies scored a pair of unearned runs in the first inning to take a 2-0 lead. That’s where things would stand until the bottom of the fourth when Highland sent 13 batters to the plate in a 10 run outburst that ended the game early via the 12 run mercy rule. Eight Highland players scored runs on the night. Kayla Cerny went three for three with two runs driven in. Jenna Sands also added two RBI. In the circle, Grace Batcheller recorded the win, throwing a shortened no-hitter, allowing just two Raven walks during her four innings of work.

With the victory, Highland is 1-0 on the year while Hillcrest Academy falls to 0-1.