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McLean erased an early deficit with a five-run third inning May 19, defeating Washington-Liberty 6-2 in the Liberty District semifinals and advancing to the championship game for the fifth consecutive season.

The top-seeded Highlanders entered the home matchup with momentum from a 14-2 victory over Marshall the previous week.

“Our win over the Statesmen really gave us a confidence boost going into the semifinals,” Coach Ky Parrot said. “We knew we had to carry that momentum into tonight’s game.”

Sophomore Alex Inget, the 2026 Liberty District Pitcher of the Year, started for McLean. Washington-Liberty scored on two hits in the opening inning, while the Highlanders went hitless in the bottom half.

“When other teams get ahead early, the main thing we focus on is not letting it get to us,” Inget said. “We knew we just had to stay calm and keep playing hard.”

McLean’s defense quickly retired the Generals in the second. Senior first baseman Dan Ockerman then recorded the Highlanders’ first hit, but the team could not bring him home.

The game swung decisively in the third inning. Third baseman Caius Antolik helped shut down Washington-Liberty with a fly-ball catch before scoring McLean’s first run. Junior designated hitter Kyle Peterson followed him across the plate, and three more runs gave the Highlanders a 5-1 advantage.

“It felt great to get that first run across,” Antolik said. “We came out strong in that inning and it was nice to see us put up five runs and take control of the game.”

Inget added a successful pickoff in the fourth, helping prevent the Generals from cutting into the lead. Sophomore designated hitter Carter Jones singled in the bottom half, and Peterson later scored for the second time to make it 6-1.

Neither team scored in the fifth. Washington-Liberty added a run in the sixth before Inget departed after 93 pitches. Senior Charlie Erlanger entered in relief and preserved McLean’s 6-2 lead.

Ockerman took the mound for the seventh and completed the victory without surrendering a hit or run. He recorded one strikeout and issued one walk.

“Once we got into the final inning, it was all about staying locked in and finishing the job,” Antolik said. “Everyone trusted each other to make the plays, and we were just focused on closing it out together.”

The semifinal win was McLean’s second straight and secured another trip to the Liberty District final.

“It feels great to get a win,” Parrot said. “Our goal tonight was just to take advantage of every chance we had at the plate and keep our focus the whole game, and we did exactly that.”