On May 29, the Highlander baseball team hosted the Oakton Cougars in the semifinal game of the regional tournament. After a dominant 4-0 win against Centreville in the regional quarterfinal, McLean was looking to keep their momentum and punch their ticket to states.
“This is another one of those huge games we’ve played this season,” junior JW Riggins said. “It’s win-or-go-home for both teams tonight, one mistake and the season could be over.”
Starting off on the mound for McLean was senior pitcher and University of Richmond commit Christian Dray. Dray started the inning off shaky with a single and a walk before forcing a flyout. With two men on base however, Oakton’s cleanup hitter came to the plate and smashed a three run home-run, putting the Highlanders in a very early 3-0 deficit. Dray bounced back with two strikeouts to end the inning, leaving the damage to a minimum.
The Highlanders were due next, facing one of their biggest deficits all year. They took this as motivation however, forcing a hit-by-pitch and three singles including an RBI single by senior Brennan Core to inch a run closer to Oakton. A double play ended the inning, but McLean still held the momentum of the game.
“We’ve all had the same mentality this year: making the opponents work as much as possible in the field,” Core said. “I love this game and my team so much, they’re my main motivation. The last thing I want to do is go home.”
Dray started off the top of the second inning with a wild pitch, pegging the batter and giving him a base. After a mound visit by head coach John Dowling, freshman Alex Inget took the mound to replace Dray. Similarly to Dray, Inget started off slow with a 2 pitch single. But a strikeout and a forced groundout got him out of the frame with no runs scored.
“I kind of expected it honestly,” Inget said. “Once Coach Dowling told me to go warm up early in the game, I knew I had to make the most of this opportunity if we want to stay alive in the playoffs.”
The Highlander’s bats were up next in the bottom of the second, with hopes to even out the game. Two singles and a hit-by-pitch loaded the bases, and senior Gabe Pegues shot a two run single to even out the game 3-3. A wild pitch brought another runner in, but three straight outs ended the second inning with McLean in their first lead of the night 4-3.
The third and fourth innings went by in a blur, with Inget producing three strikeouts and multiple quick forced popouts. For the Highlander hitters, very little production was made, with six outs on eight batters.
“I was never nervous when I stepped on the mound in this game, I was honestly just mad,” Inget said. “My past few pitching appearances haven’t gone the best, but in a high stakes game like this, I had to execute if we wanted to keep our chances alive of winning another ring.”
The fifth started with another easy two outs for Inget, proving his starting role on the team. After walking two batters on long counts, a forced flyout ended the inning unharmed. Momentum was on McLean, hoping that they could make something happen and put this game out of reach. After two quick outs, a walk and a double by junior Dan Ockerman put two runners in scoring position. But a long count strikeout ended the frame scoreless.
With Inget starting to feel fatigued, the sixth inning began with a quick out and a long count walk. Dowling approached the mound and offered a word of advice before pulling Inget for Core, who forced a three pitch strikeout and a flyout to Riggins who made a diving grab to end the frame scoreless.
“The walk back to the dugout after Dowling took the ball from me felt insane,” Inget said. “I still had butterflies, especially seeing everyone stand up and cheer after I was finished.”
Needing only three more outs in the field to end the game and move onto the regional finals, Core was determined to finish strong. Forcing a quick out, the McLean bench started filing to the front of the dugout in preparation to rush the field. Two more outs came off of forced hitting errors, and the game was completed. Players mobbed Core yelling and cheering before lining up to shake the Oakton players hands.
“I love every single guy on this team,” Core said. “We’ve got a very talented bunch here, and we are going to keep doing everything in our power to not waste what we have got going on with this team.”
The team is set to play Madison on Wednesday June 4th. With an automatic bid to the state tournament, this game is important for McLean to solidify their reputation as a powerhouse among the state. They plan to prepare just like any other game, not focusing on the added pressure of a regional title ahead.
“I love having the opportunity to play Madison in the regional championship, especially after playing them in the regional semifinal last year.” Core said. “We’re going to play with our hearts out no matter the outcome, and even if we fall short [on Wednesday], we still have more baseball to play.”
