ROYAL CITY - After blowing a lead to drop the first game, Royal took the second, 5-2, to split a non-league prep baseball doubleheader at Highland last week.

The second game was a matter of turn about, fair play. Mistakes undid Highland, just as mistakes hurt Royal in the 15-4 first game loss.

Royal led that game, 4-3, after the top of the third inning. The wheels came off in bottom of the inning as Highland scored 12 runs aided by several Royal errors

"We should have gotten out of that inning at worst with the game tied," coach Daren Christensen. "We walked eight batters and hit seven more. We also had our chances by leaving 9 runners on base."

In the second game, Danny Vermeer pitched another great game. It was not a dominating performance, as Royal has seen him have in the past, but the ball was put in play and the defense did its job.

"We put the game in motion, which I feel put a little pressure on the Scotties, which helped us score enough runs to win the game," Christensen said.

Royal took the lead for good with three runs in the fifth inning. One scored on a passed ball. Another came on a hit batsman.

Brady Dixon led the offensive attack with three hits in four trips to the plate. Vermeer went 2-for-5, and Zach Christensen batted 2-for-4.

Saturday Royal starts South Central A Conference East play against Connell.  The Knights are hoping to put two complete games together.