Two Washington County schools will clash in a playoff quarterfinal at Lone Tree High School. The Iowa Mennonite School baseball team (7-15 overall) open Class 1A District 9 tournament play this evening, squaring off against Southeast Iowa Super Conference rival the Highland Huskies (16-8 overall).

IMS ended their regular season on a four game winning streak, wrapping up with a 5-4 victory over the Pekin Panthers (16-7 overall) Friday evening in Kalona. Senior Payton Miller has made notable contributions for IMS, both at the plate and on the pitching mound. Miller has tossed a team best 41 innings this season, earning a 2-5 record, and posting a 2.73 earned run average, the second best on the team. He also leads IMS offensively in batting average (.366), on base percentage (.451), total hits (26), triples (1), and runs batted in (16).

The Huskies have been playing better recently as well, winning five of their final six regular season games. Senior Ben Bean has been a leader for the Huskies at the plate, holding the team lead in batting average (.356), on base percentage (.447), total hits (24), and doubles (7). Sophomore Chase Rath anchors the Highland pitching staff, throwing a team best 41 innings this season. He has a 4-2 record, posting an earned run average of 2.86.

First pitch of the Class 1A District 9 quarterfinal matchup is set for 5 p.m. Live play-by-play coverage begins with the Washington Hy-Vee Pregame Show at 4:50 p.m. on FM 106.1 and KCIIRadio.com.