The Recorder on May 21, 2026
Highland pitcher Sarah Liller delivers a pitch during the Rams’ dramatic 12-11 comeback win over Bath County in the opening round of the Pioneer District softball tournament last Thursday in Monterey.
MONTEREY — Down to the last six outs of their first varsity season in 14 years, the Highland girls pulled out an improbable victory on an unusually frigid May evening in Monterey last Thursday.
Trailing by seven, 11-4, the Rams put up six runs in the bottom of the sixth and Sarah Liller capped off the rally with an RBI ground out in a two-run seventh, scoring Peyton Neil from third, sending the hosts to a back-and-forth 12-11 win over Bath County in the opening round of the Pioneer District softball tournament.
The win sent Highland (6-9) to a semifinal game at Pioneer regular season champion Eastern Montgomery on Tuesday, and either the district championship or consolation on Wednesday (moved up a day from Thursday due to expected rain).
It also earned the Rams a spot in the Class 1, Region C tournament and a quarterfinal game at either Auburn or Giles next Wednesday.
The loss ended the season for the youthful Chargers at 7-12.
“I told them just don’t give up,” said HHS coach Jeff Wood. “I said, don’t quit on me now, we’ve been doing this since Feb. 18. I said, just hit the ball and let’s get four or five runs and we ended up getting more than that.”
In a hard-fought Pioneer District tournament opener in Monterey, Bath County ace Cassidee Nicely delivers a pitch in her complete game effort against Highland. (Recorder photos by David Cockerham)
Colleen Adams, Amelia Good, Kristina Neil, Ava Summers and Eleanor White all had RBI hits in the sixth-run sixth to get the Rams within one.
And after Peyton Neil, who went to the circle in the fifth, pitched a scoreless seventh, the stage was set.
Good legged out an infield single and Peyton Neil walked to start the game-winning rally. Makynley Smith drove in Good to tie the game and Liller’s groundball started the celebration.
“They stepped up and just played their hearts out there at the end,” said Wood. “They just didn’t quit. That’s the main thing. We kept it close enough.”
Highland led 4-1 before the Charger offense erupted in the fifth.
Bath sent 15 hitters to the plate, collected six hits and benefited from six walks, scoring 10 times to take the seven-run lead.
Amelia Good waits in the batter’s box. She was 3-for-3 and reached base five times in the Highland victory that clinched a Region C berth.
Alyssa Ingram had two hits and drove in two runs in the inning and Georgia Watkins, Bailey Wolfe, Makenna Randozzo and Shiann Chaplin all added one.
Peyton Neil came on for Liller, who started in the circle for Highland, and allowed one run in the fifth before holding the Chargers scoreless in the sixth and seventh to record the win.
Neil struck out one, with Liller striking out four in four-plus innings.
“I just wanted to give it my best and try and do what I could to help out our team,” said Neil. “It’s been a lot with all of us. We have tried our hearts out. It’s been great. All of them have a heart of gold and they just want to try and do their best.”
“She doesn’t pitch a lot and she came through huge,” Wood said of the junior, the Rams’ shortstop. “She pitched a really good game.”
Good had three hits, scored three times and drove in two to lead the Rams, Summers had three hits and Adams, Smith and White added two apiece. Kristina Neil and Brooklyn Bussard both had one hit. Adams scored three times and Smith drove in three.
Rams catcher Colleen Adams waits for the pitch as Bath County’s Shiann Chaplin takes a swing. (Recorder photo by David Cockerham)
Chaplin, Addie Lockridge, Wolfe and Ingram all had two hits for Bath County, while Watkins, Cassidee Nicely, and Randozzo had one each.
Nicely pitched the complete game for the Chargers, striking out seven, increasing her total on the year to 116.
“I just told them how many things they have really done well this year,” said Charger coach Charlie Padgett on how he addressed the team after the tough loss. “My first baseman, Alyssa (Ingram), most improvement of anybody. She’s come a long way and most everybody has come a long way, just not enough. We’re kind of a JV team playing varsity. We’ve spent a lot of time together. I would have liked to have spent some more time, at least about a week and a half or two weeks more.”
Parry McCluer scored seven times in the top of the eighth, beating the Rams 16-10 in the regular season finale last Tuesday in Monterey.
Caroline Watts and Patience Hill both had three hits for Parry McCluer. Watts struck out three to record the win in the circle.
Smith went 3-for-3 to lead Highland, Kristina Neil added two hits and Adams, Good, Peyton Neil, Bussard, Summers and Anna Meehan had one each.
Liller struck out six Fighting Blue hitters.
Last Thursday’s linescore
Bath County 001 0(10)0 0 – 11 11 4
Highland 001 306 2 – 12 14 2
WP: Peyton Neil (1-1); LP: Cassidee
Nicely (7-11)
Last Tuesday’s linescore
Parry McCluer 002 214 07 – 16 17 2
Highland 300 051 01 – 10 11 2
WP: Caroline Watts; LP: Sarah Liller
(5-8)