The Recorder on April 23, 2026
Highland’s Sarah Liller struck out six in the Rams’ Pioneer District softball win over Bath County last Friday. (Recorder photos by Mark Pifer)
HOT SPRINGS — Three pitches, three base hits and a 1-0 lead.
A fast start was the difference at Bath County High School Friday evening.
Highland scored seven times in the top of the first and held off a Bath rally late, beating the Chargers, 13-9, and completing a Pioneer District regular season sweep of their rivals.
Colleen Adams took Cassidee Nicely’s first pitch of the game through the middle for a base hit.
Amelia Good singled to left on pitch number two to score Adams and Peyton Neil stroked a base hit to right on the third.
The aggressive Rams were just getting started.
Makynley Smith added an RBI hit, Kristina Neil scored two with a single, Adams’ second hit of the inning drove in one and a Bath error led to two more runs before the Chargers could get a third out.
“She’s (Nicely) been pitching against us for several years and she pretty much throws strikes,” said Highland coach Jeff Wood. “We got right on it today and hit the ball really well.”
Charger pitcher Cassidee Nicely makes a defensive play against Highland.
Highland built a 10-2 lead through two and a half innings before the home team rallied.
With Nicely retiring seven straight Rams at one point, the Chargers scored three runs in the fourth and two more in the fifth to get within three.
Georgia Watkins started the fourth with a hit and Makenna Randozzo belted a two-run single to right.
Bailey Wolfe had the big hit in the fifth, a two-run double to the left-center gap that made it a 10-7 game.
It was as close as the Chargers could get, as Highland scored three times in the top of the seventh to put the game away.
“We had our moments, but it’s tough when you give up seven in the first inning,” said Bath coach Charlie Padgett. “They had some good at-bats and just jumped on us real quick. When they jump on your pitcher, you’ve got to make some plays behind her. They (Highland) made the plays and we didn’t.”
The Chargers were playing without starters and middle-of-the-order threats Kennedi Pritt and Addie Lockridge due to injuries.
“It’s no excuse, but we’ve had to make some changes,” Padgett said. “But we do it in practice, we alternate around.”
Watkins had three hits and scored three runs to lead Bath, while Trinity Forbes, Wolfe and Alyssa Ingram all had two hits. Wolfe and Randozzo both drove in two runs each.
Nicely went the distance for the Chargers, allowing just three earned runs over the final six innings. She struck out four and walked two.
Adams stayed red-hot in the leadoff spot of the Highland order, going 4-for-5 and upping her batting average to an eye-popping .759 through nine games.
“I’m just really trying to get the bat on the ball,” said Adams, one of three Ram seniors playing varsity softball for the first time in their careers. “I just basically swing at every first pitch. If it’s wild, I try to stay off of it, but sometimes it’s like an instinct now.”
Smith added three hits for Highland, while Good and Kristina Neil had two apiece. Adams, Good and Kristina Neil all had two RBI and Adams and Elanor White scored three times apiece.
Sarah Liller gave up four earned runs and pitched the complete-game win, striking out six and walking only one.
It was Liller’s fifth complete-game over a seven-day stretch.
“Sarah, once again, pitched her game,” said Wood. “My pitcher and my catcher (Adams), they are just solid.”
The win improved the Rams to 4-3 in the Pioneer District and 4-5 overall, entering a pair of non-district games earlier this week — Tuesday at Tygarts Valley, W.Va. and Wednesday at home against Richwood. They return to district play next Tuesday at home against Parry McCluer.
“It has been special because of (playing) varsity,” said Adams of the first varsity softball season at Highland since 2012. “We’ve played JV for a long time. I feel like now we can show everybody what we are really made of and that we can compete at the varsity level. I think our softball team is really good together. We know how to feed off of each other.”
The Chargers are now 5-8 overall and 2-5 in the Pioneer District.
Bath County hosts unbeaten Buffalo Gap on Friday, before a home league game on Tuesday against Narrows.
“We just need to make the routine plays on defense,” summed up Padgett. “That’s the big thing for us.”
Last Friday’s linescore
Highland 702 100 3 – 13 15 3
Bath County 200 320 2 – 9 11 6
WP: Sarah Liller (4-4); LP: Cassidee
Nicely (5-6)