It was not the first classic 9th Region Tournament game title game.
Nor will it be the last.
What makes this one unique is two teammates that happened to be sisters fought back from the final strike on 1-2 counts to help the Highlands Bluebirds softball team (26-14) knock off the Dixie Heights Colonels (23-7), 3-2 in the region championship game on Tuesday at Notre Dame. Sophomore center fielder Bailey Markus smacked her 1-2 count off Dixie Heights sophomore starting pitcher Riley Hopkins to right center field to score seventh grade pinch runner Allison Meyers and eighth grade left fielder Payton Brown to win the game.
“You always have to outdo your other sister. Just having her on base made it 10 times easier on me,” Markus said. “We finally came together as a team. It was inside. (Hopkins) never throws me inside. I finally got to show what I can do with pulling a pitch and taking it to the right side. I can’t believe we finally did it. That was an amazing accomplishment we had as a team getting to where we wanted to be all year.”
But the opportunity does not come without her teammates. Head Coach Milt Horner told the Bluebirds they do not quit entering the seventh inning.
“It was a tough game – good pitchers, good defense,” Horner said. “In an evenly matched game, the at-bats we got from our young girls in that last inning (were huge). We had the bottom of our order up and we go eighth grader, eighth grader, eighth grader at the bottom of the line-up and they all came through. What can you say?”
Junior third baseman Carly Cramer singled to right to start the bottom of the seventh for Highlands and sophomore catcher Michelle Barth landed a bunt. But Dixie Heights catcher Becca Cundiff threw to senior second baseman Bri Patsel for the first out and Meyers ran for Barth. Brown singled to left moving Meyers to second.
After eighth grade first baseman Kaitlyn Dixon popped out to Patsel for the second out, eighth grade right fielder Cam Markus went down 1-2 after a second foul ball. She took two balls to work the count full. After fouling off another pitch, Cam Markus took one high and outside for the fourth ball to load the bases. It marked just the second walk for Hopkins in the game.
“I just started singing to myself. I just had to remember my sister was coming up to bat next,” Cam Markus said. “I wanted to give her and all those other seniors a chance. It was a team effort. Everyone was cheering me on in the dugout.”
Highlands will take on the third-ranked team in Kentucky in the last Kentucky Softball Coaches Association poll in the first round of the state tournament Saturday in the 4th Region champion South Warren Lady Spartans (36-2). Game time is 9 p.m. at the University of Kentucky’s John Cropp Stadium.
Highlands won the region for the first time since 2016. The Bluebirds went 1-2 in the state tournament in 2016 and 2014. They ended a three-game losing streak to the Colonels overall dating back to a 7-4 win in Edgewood on May 17, 2019.
Dixie Heights had won the previous four postseason meetings between the two including a 4-3 in the region semifinals in 2019 at Beechwood on its way to the region crown. All four came when the current 9th Region format came about in 2008. The last Highlands postseason win in the series came on May 23, 2006 when the Bluebirds won 3-0 in the old 34th District semifinals.
Both teams had seven hits. Highlands batted .280 (7 for 25) and Dixie Heights batted .259 (7 for 27). Highlands senior fifth-year starting shortstop Anna Greenwell continued to play phenomenal defense and went 2 for 2 at the plate scoring once. Brown went 2 for 3 with a double and Bailey Markus went 2 for 4 with the two RBI.
Patsel concluded a nice career for Dixie Heights going 2 for 4 with one RBI and sophomore first baseman Skylar Mitchell went 2 for 3. Senior third baseman Ava Meyer added a double.
That double came in the top of the first with one out. Junior shortstop Ella Steczynski then singled Meyer to third. She stole second. But Highlands caught Meyer in a rundown inching off third. Highlands went Dixon to Barth to Cramer to Barth then back to Greenwell to pick off Meyer for the second out.
Hopkins (18-7) and Highlands junior pitcher Kennedy Baioni (12-8) pitched complete games giving their teams chances to win at the end. Baioni struck out five and walked just one with Hopkins striking out two and walking two.
“It’s amazing. We haven’t done this in a while,” Baioni said. “Especially coming into the season unranked in our region, we knew we had to do something. The players made it work. I’ve been known to get ahead of myself at times. I tried the whole season to stay within and show no emotion. I did that so I knew I had this game (under control).”
Both teams committed one error on defense leading to unearned runs. Greenwell walked in the bottom of the fourth, stole second and moved to third when Baioni hit a sacrifice fly to center. But a wild throw to third let Greenwell score to put Highlands up 1-0.
Dixie Heights responded with its unearned run in the top of the fifth. With one out, eighth grade designated hitter Sydney Schumacher was hit by a pitch before sophomore right fielder Carly Waters forced her out at second. Waters stole second and took third on the high throw to second. Patsel then singled to left to score Waters tying the game 1-1.
The Colonels then took a 2-1 lead in a wild top of the sixth. Steczynski walked then moved to third when Mitchell singled. Mitchell moved to second when Highlands threw to third on the play.
Hopkins hit a ground ball back to Baioni. When Baioni threw to first, Steczynski darted home and beat the relay throw home to give the Colonels a 2-1 lead. Mitchell moved to third on the play.
“Unfortunately, we just couldn’t string the hits together,” said Sarah Osborne, Dixie Heights Head Coach. “Unfortunately, it’s been like that the last couple games and it carried on to (Tuesday). That’s usually what it takes in games like this. With this group, anything can happen. The growth they’ve had as individuals and as a team, it’s been an awesome journey with them.”
Ingram hit a ground ball to Dixon at first. But Dixon threw home to Barth to cut down Mitchell at home. Osborne and the Dixie Heights faithful wanted an obstruction call on Barth. But even after talking to other two umpires, the call stood.
Replays and photos appeared to show that Barth did put her foot on the plate before the ball arrived. But even when the throw took her left, she appeared to still give Mitchell a lane to the plate before the ball arrived.
“Our first baseman (Dixon) made a great throw to the plate so our girls totally grew up,” Horner said. “Hopefully that goes well playing Saturday. The good news is after three tough days in a row, we get three days off so we’re going to figure that out.”
Highlands put a runner at second in both the fifth and sixth innings. But the Bluebirds could not push them home. Brown doubled with one out in the bottom of the fifth and Greenwell singled and stole second with two out in the bottom of the sixth.
Seventh and eighth graders are allowed to play varsity in every sport except football and soccer in Kentucky. Horner and Osborne are glad that gives younger players the opportunity to learn the speed of the varsity game and grow. The Colonels started two eighth graders in Schumacher and left fielder Taylar Dawalt. A number of middle schoolers such as eighth grader Kalee Stewart and seventh grader Haley Waters served as pinch runners this year.
“That’s fantastic because we wouldn’t have a team simply because we don’t have the participation in some of the smaller schools in Kentucky,” Horner said. “They’re not eighth graders anymore. This is our 40th game so they’ve played a lot of softball.”
Osborne has not forgotten how far the program has improved since she took over as head coach in 2018. Dixie Heights went from an even 14-14-1 34th District runner-up finish her first season to three straight seasons with 34th District titles and at least 21 wins not counting the 2020 season wiped out by the Coronavirus 2019 pandemic.
Dixie Heights won the region championship in 2019 before losing in the semifinals last year. The Colonels lost 1-0 in the first round of state in 2019 to Pendleton County.
“The program has always been there,” Osborne said. “(Former Dixie Heights Head Coach) Dean Fookes instilled it in me. Then Roddy Stainforth instilled it in me as an assistant where this program needs to be and what it’s about. This is my heart. This is my home. The program is going to be there. The girls know that it’s special to us. We’re going to come back strong next year.”
The Colonels graduate just two seniors in Meyer and Patsel. Meyer said a number of younger family members of current players could play for Dixie Heights in the future including her sister Lucy.
“I hope that they just keep putting their all (into it),” Meyer said. “We go all out in all the practices. I just hope they keep that same mentality. I hope this makes them hungry. I hope they get (a region crown) again and I hope we’re here to watch it next year.”
Osborne helped the Colonels to fastpitch region championship in 2003 and 2004 during her playing days before going off to play at Georgetown College (Kentucky). The 2003 team finished 3-2 in the state tournament making it down to the final six teams left before being eliminated. The 2004 team went 1-2 in the state tournament.
All-Tournament Team Members: Highlands – Greenwell (MVP), Baioni, Bailey Markus. Dixie Heights – Cundiff, Patsel. Ryle – Maddie Goddard. Cooper – Gweny Wessling. Villa Madonna – Cam Kratzer. Notre Dame – Morgan Huston. Beechwood – Katie Rolf. Newport Central Catholic: Natalie Haigis.
State Tennis Tournament Results:
The northern three counties saw three boys doubles, one boys singles player, two girls singles and one girls doubles team make it to the sweet 16 in the state tournament at Top Seed Tennis Club in Nicholasville.
Covington Catholic saw both doubles teams advance to the sweet 16. The CovCath doubles team of senior Jackson Poulos and freshman Alexander Yeager beat the Jeffersontown team of seniors Jackey Chen and Jason Chen, 6-1, 6-0 in the first round before knocking off Ashland Blazer senior Cameron Brown and sophomore Ryder Riggs, 6-1, 6-2. They play Elizabethtown junior Jason Towell and sophomore Ethan Ploetz at 11:45 a.m. Wednesday.
The other CovCath doubles team of junior Daniel Kyntchev and freshman Kalei Christensen knocked off Casey County juniors Gunner Floyd and Ethan Willoughby 7-6 (7-1), 6-1 in the first round then the Mayfield team of senior Eli Acree and sophomore Michael East, 6-4, 6-2 in the second round. They take on Louisville duPont Manuel senior Sahil Krishnani and junior Alex Englund at 11:45 a.m.
CovCath sophomore Brady Hussey beat Casey County junior Nate Goode, 6-0, 6-0 in the first round before knocking off Boyle County senior Matthew Da Costa, 6-0, 6-1 in the second round. Hussey takes on Lexington Catholic freshman Jonathon Harper at 9:15 a.m. in the sweet 16 singles round on Wednesday.
The Ryle doubles team of senior Christopher Harpum and junior Matthew Marlette knocked off Muhlenberg County sophomores Heath Embry and Paxton Evitts, 7-6 (7-5), 6-0 in the first round before defeating Corbin senior Daniel Byrley and freshman John Ball, 6-1, 6-2 in the second round. They take on Elizabethtown sophomores Landon Hagan and Mason Baldwin at 11:45 a.m. Wednesday.
On the girls side, Notre Dame saw one singles player and one doubles team make it to the sweet 16. Covington Latin junior Sara Wantanabe knocked off Henry County senior Kayla Harger, 6-1, 6-0 in the second round. She faces Elizabethtown junior Jai Garris at 8 a.m. Wednesday.
Notre Dame senior Martine Hue beat Central Hardin freshman Parker Lally, 6-1, 6-1 in the first round before knocking off LaRue County junior Paule Leal, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 in the second round. Hue takes on Sacred Heart sophomore Ellie Hammond in the sweet 16 at 8 a.m. Wednesday.
The Notre Dame doubles team of juniors Taylor Meenach and Hailey Fullenkamp beat Paducah Tilghman junior Meghan Gruber and freshman Maddie Duwe, 6-0, 6-0 in the first round then Webster County seniors Allison Maisel and Maggie Jones, 6-0, 6-0 in the second round. They take on Central Hardin senior Madeline Stevenson and junior Katelyn Ditto at 10:30 a.m.