Brighton, Howell meet in KLAA West baseball showdown

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For the second time in as many weeks, the Howell baseball team will take on one of its main rivals in the KLAA West.

The Highlanders (8-5 overall, 4-1 KLAA West) will play host to Brighton on Wednesday in a doubleheader that will be broadcast on The Livingston Post.

Click here to listen to both games: http://mixlr.com/thelivingstonpost/

Howell swept a slumping Hartland team last week, but co-coach Jason Ladd isn’t assuming anything.

Howell's Bryan Rendell prepares to lay down a bunt during practice on Wednesday. (Photo by Tim Robinson)
Howell’s Bryan Rendell prepares to lay down a bunt during practice on Wednesday. (Photo by Tim Robinson)

“It would be nice,” he said of a sweep, “to be able to give you a chance to breathe. But you never know. Hartland is a great team and so is Brighton, so it’s always a battle.”

Both Brighton (4-0-1 overall and West) and Howell are off to good starts despite heavy turnover due to graduation.

“Guys are putting the ball in play and we’ve had good at-bats,” Brighton coach Charlie Christner said. “I’ve been pleased with the at-bats we’ve had since the very beginning against Kettering last week.”

The Bulldogs don’t have the same number of power hitters as last year, but as in 2015, they’re scoring runs in bunches.

Howell, meanwhile, remains a dangerous team with two outs; the Highlanders scored eight of their 10 runs in a win over Hartland after the first two hitters had gone out.

“It should be a battle,” said Brighton second baseman Trevor Hopman. “They’re a good team, and every time we play them it’s a battle.”

“We’re pumped for this game,” said his Howell counterpart, Bryan Rendell. “We look forward to it every season. Every game is usually competitive.”

The key, the coaches said in separate conversations, starts on the mound.

“Pitching-wise, we’ve got to throw strikes,” Christner said. “That’s the main thing I’ve been emphasizing to our pitchers: Making sure we throw strikes and throwing multiple pitches for strikes.”

“The key is to execute and continue to get first-pitch strikes by our pitchers,” Ladd said. “We want to move the baseball, too, and put pressure on the other team.”

Several players on both teams play together on summer squads, but Wednesday’s games will take precedence.

“You’ve got to respect them,” Rendell said, “but we want to play hard and beat them.”

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