The Highland Huskies softball team saw their season draw to a close Wednesday afternoon in a Class 1A consolation round loss to the No. 5 seed Newell-Fonda Mustangs by a final of 7-6.

Action would begin with a scoreless first frame at Dodger Field on the grounds of the Harlan and Hazel Rogers Sports Complex, but the Mustangs caught fire on their largest offensive output of the game in any inning in the second, scoring the game’s first five runs on five hits, highlighted by back-to-back two-RBI singles from senior Kinzee Hinders and sophomore Rylee Hogrefe to take a 5-0 lead into the third. Newell-Fonda would plate an additional run in the third inning to stretch their lead to 6-0 headed into the fourth. However, after a scoreless fourth frame, and after a pitching change, the Huskies would begin to buckle down defensively and match that effort offensively, outscoring the Mustangs 3-1 in the fifth and sixth frames to put themselves within striking range before their turn in the seventh. After a leadoff walk by Lilly Barre in the seventh, Highland would continue to build momentum, scoring Barre on a Newell-Fonda defensive error. Back-to-back singles would help score another run for the Huskies when Maiya Singbeil brought in catcher Adley Sweeting to cut the Mustang lead to two with just one out. Highland would put even more pressure on when Ava Sexton came to the plate next and delivered a 4-3 groundout that plated eighth-grader Kinzie Ruess to all but erase the Newell-Fonda advantage. The sand in the Highland hourglass would unfortunately run out in the next at bat when freshman Kayce Schnoebelen hit a ground ball right back to pitcher Anna Mercer who threw to first basewoman Jocee Walsh to end the game and the frenzied late Huskie rally.

Unofficially, the victorious Mustangs scored seven runs on nine hits and had five errors. They were led by Mercer and Hogrefe’s combined 4/8 outing with two runs scored and three RBI. Mercer would take the win in the circle, spinning six-and-two-thirds innings and allowing four runs, one earned, on five hits, four walks and four punchouts.

Highland was led by Singbeil’s 3/4 day with two runs scored and an RBI. Jillian Stransky would pick up the loss, tossing three innings and allowing six runs, all earned, on seven hits, no walks and a strikeout. Freshman Joslyn Prottsman would hurl the next three innings in relief, allowing one earned run on two hits, no walks and three Ks.

After the game, Highland head coach Carrie Wieland as well as players Barre and co-Washington County Hospital and Clinics Player of the Game, Prottsman, joined KCII Sports to recap their state tournament.

“Coming in today, it was hot, they’re [the team] tired, I just knew that we had some fight left in us and I’m really proud of what they did at the end to make it 6-7. Came up short, gave up too many runs in one inning, but we’ve got some fight and we’re ready to be back here [at state] next year,” Wieland said.

“Obviously, we all came in wanting to win, and we knew coming in as the only unranked team in this tournament as a whole we were going to get the eight seed. We came in wanting it,” Barre said. “We were just ready to play no matter who it was against.”

“(On relief pitching), I was very scared at first, but I knew what I had to do and I knew I had to hold them [Newell-Fonda] so we could come out and score some more,” Prottsman said. “It was very helpful that I had those two strikeouts in the first inning [of work] and my defense really had my back.”

With the loss, Highland ends their season at 17-11 and will say goodbye to lone senior, Lilly Barre.