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McLean’s offense came alive too late in a 3-2 loss to rival Langley on March 24 at Capital One Park, leaving the Highlanders searching for a rebound in their first district series.
The defeat followed a 12-5 loss to Gainesville, which sophomore right-handed pitcher Charlie Coats said exposed areas McLean needed to address before facing the Saxons.
The Highlanders struggled immediately at the plate. Their only first-inning runner reached on an error, while two batters struck out.
Sophomore starter Alex Inget also opened slowly, issuing a four-pitch walk before Langley produced two line-drive hits and a pair of sacrifice flies to take a 2-0 lead.
Highlanders head coach John Dowling said Inget settled down after the difficult first inning. He retired Langley quickly in the second with two strikeouts and a flyout, but McLean’s offense remained quiet.
The Highlanders finally broke through in the third. Prell opened the inning with a double to right-center, and a walk put another runner aboard. Wormington’s sacrifice fly brought Prell home, cutting Langley’s advantage to 2-1 before Reid Turner struck out looking.
Coats said McLean adjusted as the game continued and learned more about a Langley roster that looked significantly different from the previous season.
McLean managed only a walk in the fourth. After Inget completed three innings, Dowling turned to Coats for the sophomore’s varsity debut.
Coats acknowledged feeling nervous when he entered but said advice from Dowling helped prepare him for the moment.
An early error allowed a Langley runner to reach second base. A sacrifice bunt and wild pitch then brought the runner home, extending the Saxons’ lead to 3-1. Coats escaped further damage with a pop fly and a strikeout.
The Highlanders went down in order in the fifth, while Coats found his rhythm and struck out all three Langley batters he faced.
McLean mounted another threat in the sixth when Wormington led off with a single and Turner drew a walk. Two pop flies stalled the rally, but another walk and a hit batter eventually forced Wormington home to make it 3-2.
Coats kept the deficit at one run by retiring three batters and allowing only a walk in the bottom half of the inning.
McLean entered the seventh with one final opportunity to tie the game. Two close at-bats ended in outs, and a popout sealed Langley’s 3-2 victory.
The Highlanders were scheduled to face the Saxons again March 26 in the second game of the series. Coats said McLean expected to win the rematch if its hitters became more consistent, citing the pitching staff as one of the team’s strengths.