Three outs were all that stood in the way of Highland Park’s softball team punching a ticket to the Class 5A playoffs.
Instead, it is The Colony that will be representing District 12-5A in the postseason after the Lady Cougars completed a stirring comeback Monday in a winner-take-all play-in game at R.L. Turner.
The play-in game was deemed necessary after HP and The Colony split their two meetings during the regular season and finished with matching 6-6 records in district action.
On Monday, the Lady Scots raced out to a 3-0 lead after one inning and carried a 4-3 advantage to the seventh inning only to see The Colony erupt for 10 runs and a 13-4 victory.
With the win, The Colony advances to face Frisco Emerson in the bi-district round.
“They just starting timing out the pitching,” said Michael Pullen, HP head coach. “Once they did that, they were all over it and finding gaps and the ball doesn’t lie.
“I thought we had some good at-bats early to get the lead and really throughout the game. Even in the last inning, we were battling and patient. We just had a lot of balls hit right at The Colony or they were making the plays. You have to give them a lot of credit.”
Still, it was a successful season for HP and its veteran players.
“This senior class was amazing,” Pullen said. “I can’t talk about them enough. [Cecilia Knutson] in the circle was unbelievable. Lilly Rodriguez behind the plate was a warrior all year. Anna Higgins in left and Shannon Hart at shortstop and Taylor Gilliam at third. They were all dedicated and care and gave it their all. They just changed the culture of the program and have put it on an upward trajectory. Those are the things we want to see. I’m proud of them and really honored to be here for a part of their ride.”
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