Two KCII area baseball teams took the diamond Friday at Paul N. Bailey Field in Wellman when the No. 6 in Class 2A Mid-Prairie Golden Hawks opened the home portion of their schedule, hosting the Highland Huskies who were starting their season. The Golden Hawks scored a 17-1 win in four innings. Mid-Prairie started hot, scoring eight times in the home half of the first, sending 13 to the plate, highlighted by RBI hits in the frame for Tatem Telfer, Bowen Burmeister, Landry Gingerich and Gentry Bontrager, as Mid-Prairie led 8-0 after one. They scored three more in the second with RBI for Brady Weber and Bontrager to go up 11-0. The Huskies got on the board in the top of the fourth when Garrett Beeson came around, but, in the home half, Mid-Prairie put up five more, sending 10 to the plate with RBI from Telfer, Burmeister, Dylan Henry and Bontrager to seal the win.

The Golden Hawks outhit the Huskies 12-4 in total, drawing 11 walks and capitalizing on three Highland errors. At the plate, all nine Mid-Prairie batters scored a run, seven of the nine had at least one hit and six of nine drove in one. They were led by a three for three night for Burmeister that included three RBI and three runs scored. Telfer and Bontrager also had three driven in. Brady Weber had two hits and drove in two, Henry knocked in a pair and scored twice while, Gingerich had two RBI. Brock Harland got the win on the mound, going two scoreless innings and striking out six.

Top performers for Highland included one hit each for Landon Roling, Colten Sypherd, Logan McFarland and Hunter Seibel. Sypherd had the best night on the mound, working an inning and two thirds of relief with no runs allowed and three punchouts. With the win, Mid-Prairie is 2-0 on the year ahead of a Monday doubleheader with West Branch on KCII, while Highland falls to 0-1 with a Monday KCII trip to Washington.