BY BRIAN GOSSET
X – @Gosset41
ATTENTION…this is not a joke!
Rhys Mulkey and Ella Villa both drove in eight runs for Lake Highlands as the Wildcats defeated Irving MacArthur 48-43 in their District 7-6A softball opener on Tuesday night.
Mulkey went 6 of 7 with two doubles and seven runs scored.
Villa went 7 of 8 with two triples and six runs scored.
Lake Highlands totaled 39 hits while MacArthur posted 33 hits. The two teams combined for 47 walks, 12 doubles, 36 stolen bases and 45 runs with two outs. Seven different players drove in at least six runs.
The Wildcats were in total control after leading 11-1 in the first inning. 16 batters came up in the opening frame for Lake Highlands. Villa and Reagan Davies hit back-to-back RBI singles to left field and Villa came back up in the inning to add a three-run triple that made it 10-1.
The Cardinals scored three in the top of the second.
Lake Highlands added four in the bottom of the second for a 15-4 lead. MacArthur scored 12 times in the top of the third to go up 16-15. 16 batters came up to the plate.
Villa hit a two-run triple in the bottom of the third to break a 16-16 tie. The Wildcats scored three more times – with two outs – to grab a 21-16 lead going to the fourth.
MacArthur poured in 21 runs on 15 hits in the top of the fourth. 27 Cardinals batted in the inning as they went in front 37-21. Ruthie Schmiel hit a two-run single for Lake Higlands to spark a six-run fourth inning and the Wildcats pulled within 37-27.
The Cardinals couldn’t score after the top of the fifth and only needed three outs to pick up the win via run-rule, but Lake Highlands tacked on 18 runs in the bottom of the fifth with 23 batters coming to the plate.
Mulkey hit a two-run double to left that made it 37-31.
Rhian McCarty followed with a three-run home run and Lake Highlands pulled within 37-34. The Wildcats loaded the bases and then got a walk from Cassidy Grych. Leah Schmiel hit the game-tying two-run single.
Lake Highlands had three RBI walks and two RBI singles to increase its lead to 45-37 going into the sixth. MacArthur scored six in the sixth to pull within 45-43. Grych hit a two-run single for Lake Highlands and the Wildcats led 48-43. The Cardinals only got one hit in the seventh.
