On Friday May 23rd, the highlanders faced the Yorktown patriots in the district finals and beat them with a score of 3-0. The Highlanders continued their winning streak with a 10-0 game against Chantilly in the regional quarterfinals.
Fast forward to May 30th, McLean was set to play Langley in the regional semifinals. With a win the team would punch their ticket to the states, a tournament that they won back in 2023. There was a lot of emotion coming into this game because Langley was McLean’s only loss, but the team was focused on not letting the emotions get the best of them.
The game started on Friday on a damp field with dark clouds looming; the possibility of the game getting postponed was very probable. McLean started out in the field, with junior Saoirse Sigler on the mound. Sigler had been a weapon on the bump all season, winning first team all-region honors just days earlier. Sigler mowed down the first three Saxon batters, proving her reign in the region.
Mclean headed into the bottom of the first inning and got a baserunner early when sophomore Sydney Walker got hit by the first pitch. Junior Gennie Fagan took advantage of the opportunity and scorched a two run home run to center field, giving the Highlanders a 2-0 lead.
The top of the second inning quickly ended with all three outs coming from weak infield contact and McLean headed back to the plate, hoping to continue their hitting streak. With one out, senior Zoe Wanek ripped a single to the outfield with pinch runner freshman Maddy Erlanger entering the game. Erlanger showed off her speed, stealing second base. Unfortunately, the stormy clouds took over, and the rain got to be too much, suspending the game until further notice.
Two days passed, then the game resumed under sunny skies, a new month, with the same game going. The first at bat was a continuation of the game, a 1-1 count with Erlanger on second. With two outs, junior Addie Ward walked up to the plate and ripped an RBI single, giving McLean a 3-0 lead just minutes into the resumption of the game. A walk for senior Elise Walker and steals by both Ward and Elise had the McLean dugout loud as ever, but Langley halted the momentum with a strikeout.
The third inning and top of the fourth were stagnant, with both pitchers mowing down their sides. Sigler was proving her spot as the starting ace, while the bats for the Highlanders were getting slow.
“When she’s on her game, shes unstoppable,” senior outfielder Maria Piacesi said. “She gives us all confidence, and makes us play better as a group.”
However in the bottom of the fourth, after two four pitch walks, Fagan walked up to the plate and smoked another homerun, this one a three run homerun and bumped the score to 6-0. The dugout went ballistic, knowing that in a few more outs they would be heading to the state tournament.
The next three innings were similar to the rest, with Sigler showing pitching prowess allowing only one hit and forcing outs left and right. The Highlander bats stayed stagnant, with the coaches giving pinch hitters like sophomore Abby Williams and junior Hannah Hoffman opportunities, seeing that the game was out of reach for Langley.
In the top of the seventh, McLean needed only three outs. Relying on the girl who brought them to this position, Sigler forced two quick popouts. With one out remaining, Langley’s four-hole hitter came to the plate. Unfazed, Sigler tossed a changeup, a pitch she had been cleaning up with all game. Langley’s hitter thumped a dribbler to second base, Elise snagged it and threw it to Sydney at first, ending the game with a score of 6-0.
“We won with our defense today,” Head coach Maurice Tawil said. “We lead with that, but today we showed that we can make it happen with the bats. I’m very happy with this win.”
McLean will face Madison on Wednesday, June 4th in the regional finals. Already having their ticket punched to states, McLean will focus this game purely on revenge. Madison took them out of the tournament last year, so facing this team again means more to the Highlanders.
“We need to look to our right and left, and remember that we’re doing this for our teammates,” junior Riley Staats said. “ What happened happened. We can’t change that now, all we can do is go out and beat them up.”
