The Highland batters came ready to swing on Thursday.

Just 24 hours after the Huskies struggled to hit with runners on base in a loss to Cardinal, Highland scored four runs on five hits in the first inning of a 10-7 win over Central Lee. 

The Hawks (7-3) had not allowed more than four runs in a game all season, which the Huskies (7-4-1) eclipsed in the fourth inning when MyLei Smith singled and scored on a wild pitch to put Highland ahead 5-1. 

Sarah Burton, who homered in each of the two previous games, went 3-for-3 at the plate and was intentionally walked in the sixth inning. She scored twice and hit a triple in the second inning. 

“Her mental approach to the game is just — one pitch, I'm going to drive it, whatever pitch that is,” Highland coach Carrie Wieland said. “She rarely swings and misses. Lately, if she's going to hit it, she's going to foul it off or it's going to go out of the park.”

Burton set the tone on Thursday, hitting Meghan Hopp’s first pitch for a single. Mackinze Hora followed with a bunt single and Payton Brun singled to drive in a run before the Hawks could record an out. 

Brun finished 3-for-4 at the plate with a double and three RBIs.

Jessica Kraus and Grace Prybil each had an RBI single with one out. Smith laid down a sacrifice bunt to score Kraus, who finished the game with two RBIs. 

Opponents were hitting .187 off of Hopp, who had not allowed a single run in 20 innings this season. She was replaced by Sophie Turner in the third inning. 

Central Lee made a comeback attempt in the sixth inning, trailing 7-2 with two outs and a runner on first base. A Hawks’ single, double, and single cut the lead to two runs. But the Huskies were able to take advantage of a hit batter and three errors in the bottom half of the inning to restore the five-run lead. Katelyn Waters reached base on error with one out to score Smith for the first run of the inning. 

Shanna Buford hit a two-run homer in the seventh inning, but Grace Batcheller induced a pair of ground balls to finish the game. She allowed nine hits and three walks over seven innings in the Highland win. 

Cardinal 8, Highland 3

Sarah Burton’s three-run homer in the fifth inning accounted for all of Highland’s runs in an 8-3 loss to Cardinal on Wednesday. 

“They're a very good team and the pitching was good, but we just chickened out,” Wieland said. “I told them that. We chickened out in the first three innings as if we'd never seen anything like that. We just didn't do things right.”

Highland loaded the bases with three straight singles after Burton’s big hit, but the Huskies ran into an out on the basepaths between third and home. Cardinal answered with a two-run homer during a three-run sixth inning. 

The Huskies went down in order in the first inning, but had a baserunner in every inning afterwards. Brun was 2-for-4 at the plate in the loss. 

Highland 8, Columbus 4

Sarah Burton hit a leadoff home run and the Huskies took advantage of Wildcat errors in an 8-4 road win on Tuesday. 

Both teams struggled defensively with seven errors each. The Huskies scored six unearned runs and the Wildcats finished with three unearned. 

“We had tons of errors, but I told them, you know, when we can still beat teams after having errors, that makes a good team,” Wieland said.

Burton finished 2-for-4 and reached on an error. Hora had a hit, a walk, reached on error, and drove in a run. Madison Beeson drew two walks and scored a run. Kraus doubled and walked once, while Batcheller had a hit and a walk as well.

Batcheller allowed one earned run on four hits and three walks.