Highlanders Split the Week

On Tuesday, April 10^th, the McLean Highlanders traveled to Reston, VA to take on the Seahawks of South Lakes High School.   The game marked a return to Liberty District action for both teams after each squad had returned from Charleston, SC where they had both participated in the Hanahan Invitational Tournament.  McLean entered the game with  a 2-2 mark in Liberty District play, South Lakes was at 1-3.  The Highlanders started Senior ace Drew Morgan on the mound, with South Lakes countering with their own ace, Senior Tommy Gately.

South Lakes opened up the scoring with a single run in the bottom of the first inning on the strength of three separate bloop and infield hits.  Morgan was sharp, however, and was able to get out of the jam and leave the bases loaded.  The Highlanders countered with a run of their own in the top of the 2^nd, when Kendall Wilkins’ RBI ground out to first base scored Drew Morgan to tie the score.

Neither team was able to muster much offense at all until the bottom of the 6^th inning, when South Lakes took the lead.  South Lakes’ Mike Boyle led off the inning with a base hit down the left field line.  McLean’s Kendall Wilkins did an excellent job cutting the ball off and fired a strike to 2^nd baseman Ryan Blackwell, who appeared to tag the runner out.  However, Boyle was called safe and South Lakes had a runner on 2^nd base with no one out.  Morgan allowed a sacrifice bunt to advance Boyle to 3^rd.  The Highlanders then  brought in closer Andrew Stowe, who promptly struck out the next Seahawk batter on a breaking ball in the dirt.  However, the ball skated to the backstop and the go ahead run scored, along with the Seahawk batter reaching 1^st base.  The Highlanders allowed two more runs to cross the plate in the 6^th and were kept silent in the 7^th by Gately, giving South Lakes a 4-1 victory.

The loss marked the fourth consecutive defeat for the Highlanders, and dropped their overall record to 5-6, and their Liberty District mark to 2-3.  “This was a tough night for us and we are going through a tough time right now”, McLean coach John Thomas said.  “I was very pleased with our pitching tonight, and I thought that Morgan competed very hard and did everything he could to keep us in this game.  That was about it as far as positives go for us.  There is really no way to sugarcoat the situation.  We are just struggling right now and we have got to find a way to fight through it.  I still have complete faith in the character of this team, and I know that we will fight our way through this adversity.  We just need to maintain the right perspective and continue to work as hard as we can to get better every day.”

The Highlanders played host to the Marshall Statesmen on Friday, April 13^th at the friendly confines of McLean Baseball Field.  The game was McLean’s first at home in over two full weeks.   Freshman Sean Fitzgerald started on the hill for the Highlanders, while Marshall countered with Junior lefthander Jason Britt.

After Fitzgerald retired the Statesman without giving up a run in the top of the first, McLean came out of the gates swinging……and running.  Two base hits, a walk, and three stolen bases later, and McLean was back out in the field for the top of the 2^nd with a 2-0 lead, their first lead in over a week.  Ryan Blackwell led the charge for McLean by leading off the inning with an infield single, stealing 2^nd, and scoring on a ground ball from Andrew Stowe.  Stowe and Tyler Thompson then executed a double steal, allowing Thompson to score the Highlanders’ second run of the inning.

Fitzgerald pitched effectively for McLean throughout the next three innings.  The right-hander scattered four hits while walking two and striking out two over four innings for the Highlanders, giving up two runs (one earned) and turning over a 4-2 lead to closer Andrew Stowe in the top of the fifth inning.  Stowe pitched well for the Highlanders again, notching his first save of the season on the strength of 3 innings, giving up no hits and one walk while striking out three Marshall hitters.

McLean’s offense showed improvement throughout the game, and a few timely hits combined with the Highlanders aggressive base running resulted in a 6-2 McLean win.  The Highlanders were led offensively by Sean Fitzgerald (2-3, RBI), Quinn Pippin (2-2, 2 runs), Drew Morgan (2 RBI), and Ryan Blackwell (2-4, RBI).   “It’s great to get back on the winning track”, McLean coach John Thomas said.  “I’m proud of our players and our coaches for working so hard throughout this rough stretch, and for staying focused and committed to getting better.   Good things will continue to happen to this group if we maintain the same positive attitude and the same commitment to winning that we played with tonight.  Time to keep it rolling.”