As the McLean Highlander baseball team took the field on Friday May 7, they were prepared for a duel to the death. Playing the Heritage Pride, they were prepared to show their mettle against a competitive squad.
“These guys won 4A states last year, so they’re obviously a really good team,” junior third baseman Constantine Kofinis said. “ We need to go out there and do what we know we can do.”
That drive was not very noticeable from the getgo, as offensively the Highlanders came out slow, striking out twice and grounding out to end the top of the first. However, McLean’s pitching staff came out strong, and provided a solid scoreless inning, with senior pitcher J.W Riggins punching out 2 of the 3 batters he faced.
The offensive struggles that plagued the Highlanders in the first inning continued into the second, with a pair of groundouts sending the team back onto the field empty handed. Nevertheless, Riggins stayed strong, striking out another two batters bringing his total for the day up to four.
The top of the third was where the momentum began to change, as the pride walked back to back Highlander batters. A single from junior third baseman Caius Antolik and a groundout from Riggins drove in two runs, and after a few more walks, McLean went into the bottom of the third with a 3-0 lead. Despite a pitching change midway through the bottom of the inning, the ‘Ders managed to keep the scoreline at three zero.
The offensive explosion that had powered McLean to the three zero was short lived however, and both teams went two innings without coming close to anything resembling consistent offense. The highlander pitching stayed strong, with senior pitcher Charlie Erlanger contributing five strikeouts through 3 scoreless innings.
“We need to work on keeping our energy and focus up throughout the game,” Kofinis said. “We can’t have stretches where we’re completely tapped out offensively.”
As both squads headed into the sixth, the game was still a contest. An RBI double from senior right fielder Ryan Riggins tacked on another run to the Highlander lead, putting them up 4 with an inning and a half of action left.
The Pride came out weak once again, going down in quick succession, as the Highlanders finished them off with a two run top of the seventh, building an unassailable 6-0 lead with one frame left.
Yet another pitching change brought in senior Georgetown commit Dan Ockerman, who proceeded to strike out the side to finish the game.
“I’m proud of how we played today,” Kofinis said. “ Our pitching was really good, and it should hold up in districts.”
McLean heads into a decisive two game series against the Marshall Statesmen to end off the season before district play, where they hope to iron out any issues before they get into the win or go home environment that is the district tournament.
“We’re going to keep our offensive intensity and put the bat on the ball more often,” Kofinis said. “We are going to show the district we’re ready.”
