Boys Best of the Week: Highland baseball starts season with 5-0 record

SPARTA — If the first week is any indication, the Highland baseball team is going to enjoy a special season in 2024. The Scots are 5-0, including three wins over the weekend during a trip to Cincinnati, and have scored at least 10 runs in every game.

Highland picked up a pair of Mid Ohio Athletic Conference victories in sweeping the season series with Pleasant. In a 17-2 win, Kort Sears and Drew Altizer combined on a one-hitter with 10 strikeouts, as Hayden Kline hit two singles and a double for four RBIs and four steals. Gavin Wiggand also had a double and two singles for the Scots.

Check out each boys track team: 2024 Boys Track Preview Capsules: Team-by-team look at the upcoming season in the area

Check out each baseball team: 2024 Baseball Preview Capsules: Team-by-team look at the upcoming season in the area

In a 10-8 win over the Spartans, Highland led 10-0 but gave up eight runs in the fifth inning. Church was the winning pitcher, striking out nine in four innings, while Jayden Collins got the save with no hits allowed and five strikeouts in two-and-one-third innings of work. Wiggand homered and Sears doubled.

The Scots blanked Bethel-Tate 13-0 to kick off their trip to southwest Ohio as Church had four hits with two of them doubles, also earning the win on the mound. Collins, Sears, Rhett Russell and Hendrick Karya all had multiple hits, and Sears stoke four bases.

In a doubleheader at Reading, Highland opened with a 19-7 win. Jace Brooks hit two doubles, and Kline and Sears added triples, while Church and Collins chipped in with doubles. In the 12-1 win, Brooks and Jacob Garber had two hits each with Garber getting a double. Collins pitched five innings, giving up two hits and striking out eight.

Here are some other highlights from around the Marion area as boys spring sports started last week:

More Baseball

● North Union's Tyler Krebehenne and Mason Bright teamed to toss a four-hitter with 13 strikeouts and two walks in a 7-3 victory over Elgin. Krebehenne singled twice. For Elgin, Mitchell Askew and Donaven Stith gave up six hits and one earned run to go with three walks and two strikeouts. North Union lost 10-0 to London after being held to three hits. In a 3-1 win over Triad, Krebehenne doubled and singled, and Landon Converse doubled, while Drew Schmidt gave up four hits and two walks with seven strikeouts.

● Stith pitched a three-hitter with 11 strikeouts and no walks during a 10-0 victory over Delaware Christian. Also for Elgin, Nash Lust hit a double and single, and Askew and Quinten Harrison had two singles each. The Comets also played former coach Drew Kirby's Dublin Jerome squad and fell 12-1 in six innings. Harrison had a triple as the team was limited to four hits. Kirby coached the Comets to the 2014 regional finals.

● Marion Harding started its season with a 13-5 win over Worthington Christian. Nathan Cunningham earned the win in five innings, striking out nine and giving up four hits. Maddox McGuire singled three times, and Gavyn Baumgartner had two hits for four RBIs, while Austin Allen and Justin Long singled twice for the Presidents. Kenton scored a run in the bottom of the seventh inning to take a 3-2 win over Harding. Lucas Keller doubled and singled, Ray J Scott-Harbolt singled twice for the Prexies.

● Cardington beat Fredericktown 2-1 after scoring both runs in the first inning. A.J. Hall doubled and Wyatt Wade singled twice as he also tossed a five-hitter with four walks and 10 strikeouts. Cardington was held to four hits in a 13-5 loss to Clear Fork. Hall singled twice in a 10-3 loss to Fredericktown.

● Northmor's Drew Hammond was 3-for-4, and Grant Bentley scored three times in an 8-0 win over Lucas. Ethan Hinton hit a double for the Golden Knights, as Bentley and Trevor Brubaker combined for a five-hitter with no walks and nine strikeouts. Northmor stopped Pleasant 7-3 with Cole Cuffman doubling for the Knights and Mason Moore doubling and singling for Pleasant.

● Nine River Valley players recorded a hit in beating Ontario 5-2. Leland Doubikin led the way with three singles, and Aiden Gray had two more for RV. Trace Kelley and Doubikin teamed to give up seven hits, two walks, two earned runs and four strikeouts. In a 2-1 loss to Ontario, Hayden Kanagy doubled and singled twice, while Gray worked 5⅔ innings with five hits, no walks and six strikeouts.

Track and Field

● Marion Harding finished fourth at the 11-team Bucyrus Elks Invitational. Carter Ferguson won the 3,200-meter run in 10:20.4 and was third in the 1,600 at 4:45.03. Marquis Long Jr. was third in the long jump at 18-feet, 7 3/4 inches and fourth in the 100 at 12.48. Kade Sutherland was fourth in the 800 at 2:08.88 and the 3,200 at 10:37.83. The 4x100 relay was runner-up.

● Mount Gilead was seventh at the Elks as Will Baker won the 1600 in 4:42.47 as did the 4x400 relay in 2:43.69. Logan High was fourth in the 200 in 23.86, Quade Harris fourth in the 400 in 54.57, Parker Bartlett third in the 3,200 in 10:30.83. and the 4x200 team second.

● Cardington's A.J. Brehm was runner-up in the long jump at the Elks with a leap of 18-9, and the 4x400 team was fourth.

● Several area teams competed at Colonel Crawford's 13-team Grove Keller Invitational. Pleasant took fifth, while River Valley and Northmor tied for sixth, and North Union was eighth, Ridgedale ninth and Elgin 12th.

● Picking up wins from the area were RV's Gabe Douce in the 800 in 2:00.62, Northmor's Ryan Lehman in the 3m200 in 10:03.73, RV's Cooper Miller in the pole vault at 15-0, Pleasant's Hudson Warner in the long jump at 21-1.25 and RV's Ethan Lyon in the discus at 157-10 and the shot put at 56-0.5.

● Ending as runners-up were Northmor's Cowin Becker in the 400 at 52.53 and the long jump at 20-9.25, Pleasant's Nick Swartz in the 1600 at 4:43.07, Northmor's 4x200 team and Pleasant's 4x800 relay.

● Finishing third were North Union's Griffin Osborne in the 200 in 23.94, Swartz in the 3,200 in 10:09.59, Warner in the 110 hurdles at 16.57, North Union's Carter Skaggs in the 300 hurdles in 43.11, Northmor's 4x400 relay, Ridgedale's Caiden Daniels in the high jump at 5-6 and North Union's Henry Hayward in the pole vault at 11-6

● Taking fourth were Ridgedale's Breyton Richmond in the 400 in 53.85, Ridgedale's Brogan Weston in the 1,600 in 4:49.64, Skaggs in the 110 hurdles in 16.69, Warner in the 300 hurdles in 44.37, North Union in the 4x100 relay, River Valley in the 4x400 relay, Northmor in the 4x800 relay, Pleasant's Brayden Scowden in the high jump at 5-4, Ridgedale's Landon Murphy in the long jump at 20-3.5 and RV's Brady Cookson in the shot put at 44-9.

Coaches and statisticians are encouraged to send their results to the Marion Star's Rob McCurdy to be included in the Best of the Week columns. He can be reached at rmccurdy@gannett.com, 419-610-0998, X @McMotorsport and Instagram @rob_mccurdy_star.

Marion Star Boys Best of the Week Performer Poll, vote:

● Fans are encouraged to visit MarionStar.com and its app to vote in the Marion Star Boys Best of the Week Performer Poll that runs through early Sunday morning. Here are the nominees:

● Highland baseball's Hayden Kline hit two singles and a double to drive in four runs and steal four bases in a win over Pleasant.

● Elgin's Donaven Stith threw a three-hitter with 11 strikeouts and no walks in a win over Delaware Christian.

● River Valley's Ethan Lyon won the discus in 157-10 and the shot put in 56-0.5 at Colonel Crawford's Grove Keller Invitational in track and field.

● Pleasant's Hudson Warner won the long jump in 21-1.25, was third in the 110-meter hurdles and fourth in the 300 hurdles at Colonel Crawford's Grove Keller Invitational in track and field.

● Marion Harding's Carter Ferguson won the 3200 meters in 10:20.4 and was third in the 1600 at the Bucyrus Elks track meet.

This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Boys Best: Check out baseball, track highlights from opening week