Rematch of 53-0 blowout is improved 13-0 shellacking
A month removed from the most lopsided high school baseball games in Texas history between Lake Highland (Texas) and Samuell (Texas), the two teams took the field for the second time this season in a district game that garnered national attention for all the wrong reasons.
But that's what happens when you beat a team by 53 runs in a game that had Lake Highlands taking only one base at a time when things started to get out of hand. This time around the score was a little more respectable, with Lake Highlands winning 13-0 over Samuell before things were called in the fifth inning due to the mercy rule.
Trying to make the game as even as possible, coach Jay Higgins called up two junior varsity players for the game, and managed to go through his entire lineup before the game ended. While the school obviously didn't need to win by as many runs as the last time out, they still managed to pitch a no-hitter.
Usually a monumental achievement for an high school team, Lake Highlands seemed to take this game in stride ... especially after the heat they took for drubbing a clearly overmatch opponent. Even in defeat, Samuell head coach Mike Pena tried to sound as upbeat as possible.
"The future looks good at Samuell if we just keep working," he told KWTX.com's 254 website.
The best news of all coming from the game was that neither team had to worry about using a little used provision in the National Federation of Baseball Rules book that stated any game can be ended before the minimum seven innings have been played (five innings in Texas) if both coaches and the umpire agree to call if off.
Higgins claimed that was the only reason why the two teams continued playing the last time out. The two teams are, thankfully, done playing each other this season, meaning we won't have to worry about seeing a lopsided score between Samuell and Lake Higlands for at least another year.
And, perhaps, we won't see another score like that elsewhere, either, given the new understanding of the federal baseball rulebook, and a sense of concentrated compassion from a high school baseball coach.
Want more on the best stories in high school sports? Visit RivalsHigh or connect with Prep Rally on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
