The Rangers split the opening day of the 2016 Highland Park Classic, battling through a slew of inclement weather to defeat defending University Interscholastic League (UIL) 5A State Champion Prosper, 5-1, before falling to The Woodlands, 7-2, at Prosper High School on Thursday afternoon.

Senior Kyle Muller earned the win on the mound, improving his record to 2-0 on the year by striking out a season-high 12 batters.  Muller helped his own cause with a pair of two-run home runs, improving his white-hot start to the season by pushing his home run total to nine 14 games into the 2016 campaign. 

Junior Alex Lengyel cracked a two-run single in the sixth inning against the Woodlands, while senior Pete Hamrick logged a double and single against Prosper before adding a triple in the second inning in the nightcap.

The Rangers (9-3-2) score in the first inning against Prosper, when senior Thomas Jordan crossed the plate with two outs in the inning to put the Blue and Gold on the board.  Muller struck out seven batters in the first three innings to keep the Prosper hitters at bay.  Muller hit his first two-run home run to left center in the third, launching the second in the top of the seventh, allowing Prosper its first hit of the game in the sixth inning and shaking off a run in the bottom of the seventh for the win.

Scoring three runs in the first, The Woodlands held the Rangers to two runs on two hits, with both runs crossing the plate in the sixth.  Lengyel sent a scorching ball through the right side with two outs in the sixth, scoring senior Bryce Bonner and junior JT Mix to get the Rangers on the scoreboard, but the squad was unable to mount a seventh-inning comeback, resulting in a Thursday split.

Jesuit will battle Richland at 4 p.m. on Friday in the first of two games to continue the team's run at the Highland Park Classic.