On May 12, McLean’s varsity baseball team hosted the Marshall Statesmen in their last home game of the regular season. As it was senior night, the Highlanders were especially determined to secure a final home victory while aiming to secure a good seed in the upcoming Liberty District tournament.
“Heading into the game, we were feeling super hyped up and confident,” senior designated hitter Daniel Ockerman said. “This was our last home game of the season before districts, so we had to really put our all in.”
Sophomore pitcher Alex Inget took to the mound for McLean as Marshall struck early in the top of the first inning. Marshall pushed across three runs, including a deep hit that scored a runner from third, to build an early lead. McLean came up empty in the bottom half of the inning as the Statesmen refused to let up the score, making the Highlanders evermore hungry for revenge.
“Throughout the season, one of our main goals was to always maintain a positive attitude,” senior pitcher Charlie Erlanger said. “That allows us to play better and bounce back quickly.”
Unfortunately, the Highlanders were unsuccessful in doing so, as the Statesmen played off of their early momentum going on to ruthlessly capitalize on McLean’s defensive struggles. Marshall added on another run after a fumbled ball behind the plate, then continued to extend the lead with aggressive baserunning that pushed runners across to make the score 7-0. By the end of the third inning, the Statesmen had stretched the gap further to 8-0 while McLean remained scoreless.
However, the fourth inning seemed to bring new hope for the Highlanders. After the Statesmen’s uneventful performance in the first half, the Highlanders were finally able to secure their first run.
“After getting our first run, we definitely got a lot more excited and felt that we could maybe redeem ourselves,” senior pitcher JW Riggins said. “That definitely helped shift the energy in the dugout and the crowd.”
McLean was unable to carry over its success from the fourth inning into the next frame as the Statesmen added another run to extend their lead. Still, senior third baseman James Socknat came through with a juggling catch to secure an out for the Highlanders. Additionally, Socknat recorded McLean’s first hit of the game and later advanced to third after Riggins moved the runner over, though the Highlanders were unable to bring him home.
“We weren’t really thinking about the score as much as just trying to execute each inning and stay focused,” Erlanger said. “The goal was just to keep playing our game.”
The sixth frame proved to be another productive inning for the Statesmen as they added two more runs, including one following a fumbled ball by McLean, extending their lead to an 11–1 final score. The Highlanders were unable to respond as Marshall continued to pull away, bringing their record to 12–5.
Although the Highlanders lost their last home game, they still have the opportunity to redeem themselves; on May 15, McLean will face Marshall once more in the final game of the regular season before the Liberty District tournament.
“We have to be sharper defensively and limit the extra chances we’re giving teams,” Riggins said. “If we clean up the mistakes and play more consistently, we’ll put ourselves in a much better position.”
