The #5 seeded Highland Scotties opened NJCAA tournament play today with a 4-3 win over the #12 seed St. Louis Archers of Region 16.

On paper, it looked as if the Scotties could make an easy day of their lower-seeded opponent, but St. Louis wasn't going down without a fight. The Scotties are loaded with a school-record 5 First Team All-Conference selections, but it was freshman infielder, Sophie Mayhugh, that came up big when the Scotties needed it most today.

In the 6^th inning, with the game tied 3-3, Kerstyn Finch led off with a single and then stole second base to put her in scoring position, bringing Mayhugh to the plate. Mayhugh was able to drive a single up the middle, just past the pitcher's reach, to score the winning run for the Scotties.

KJCCC Coach of the Year, Heidi Jordan, made a smart pre-game decision that likely helped the Scotties out in the late innings of today's game. As Highland waited to take the field, Jordan saw that there might be a lengthy delay to the start of their game and ordered her players to take shelter from the sweltering Alabama heat. St. Louis opted not to seek shade and waited over 45 minutes in 88° heat, with 60% humidity. That decision could have proved to be a major factor in St. Louis' first-round loss.

KJCCC MVP, Lilli Weir, was impressive on the mound today, with a complete-game win and 9 strikeouts. All-Conference selection, Aliks Serna, went 2-2 with two doubles in today's win for the Scotties.

Highland will next face the #4 seed DMACC squad, a team they have already seen once this year, in tomorrow's 2^nd round matchup. The Scotties lost a close game to DMACC 7-5 at a neutral site in Oklahoma back in February, at the start of the season.

Coach Jordan said, "It was a flat start today, but like they always do, this team grinds out the win. I'm so happy for the girls to experience their first win on a national stage. We need to come focused and with more energy tomorrow to take on a great team in DMACC".

Tomorrow's 2^nd round games will begin at 2 p.m. in Oxford, Alabama. The winners will play against each other on Thursday, May 27 at 10 a.m. The losers will play tomorrow at 6 p.m. opponent TBD. All tournament games will be broadcast on the NJCAA channel and a link will be provided at scottieathletics.com.