Lake Highlands performed on the big stage Wednesday night at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington and nearly handed unbeaten Rockwall-Heath its first loss of the season.
The Wildcats lost to Heath, 3-2, in eight innings. The extra frame allowed Heath (20-0) to complete a comeback from a 2-0 deficit.
LH pitcher Ryan Browder pitched superbly on a night when his team really needed it. With LH starting a three-day tournament today in Grand Prairie, the Cats could not afford to run through their bullpen. Browder pitched all eight innings, shutting out Heath’s potent offense through the first four.
LH took a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth that nearly stood up. Blake Woodson cranked a double over the center fielder’s head to get things started. Michael Ketchmark advanced him to third with a ground-out to second, then David Bloodworth picked up the RBI with a single to left.
Judson Luther followed with another single to right-center. Then with Ben Wolf batting, Bloodworth scored on a wild pitch.
Heath rallied to score a run in the bottom of the fifth, although it could have been much worse if not for two defensive gems by LH center fielder Cameron Bodell.
Bodell had a couple of other great catches in an expansive center field that gives major leaguers trouble.
Heath scored again in the bottom of the seventh to send the game to an extra inning. The Hawks got a runner to third with no outs in the eighth inning and, despite Browder’s battling, got the run home for the win.
A nice crowd of LH supporters showed up to witness the Cats’ effort, especially considering the distance and the spring break factor. Despite the loss, a lot of memories were made by the Rangers Ballpark appearance, which the team earned by selling Rangers tickets.
No rest for the Wildcats, though, as they begin the Grand Prairie I-30 Classic at 1 p.m. today against South Garland.
