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McLean’s pitching staff overwhelmed Heritage on Friday, May 7, carrying the Highlanders to a 6-0 victory over the defending 4A state champions.

Junior third baseman Constantine Kofinis said McLean entered the game knowing it faced a formidable opponent.

“These guys won 4A states last year, so they’re obviously a really good team,” Kofinis said. “We need to go out there and do what we know we can do.”

McLean’s offense started slowly, striking out twice and grounding out in the first inning. Senior pitcher J.W. Riggins immediately set a different tone on the mound, striking out two of the three batters he faced in a scoreless opening frame.

The Highlanders again failed to score in the second, but Riggins added two more strikeouts to bring his total to four.

McLean finally broke through in the third after Heritage walked consecutive batters. Junior third baseman Caius Antolik delivered a run-scoring single, and Riggins drove in another run with a groundout. Additional walks helped the Highlanders build a 3-0 lead.

A pitching change during the bottom of the inning did not disrupt McLean’s shutout. Senior Charlie Erlanger later contributed five strikeouts across three scoreless innings as both teams endured a quiet stretch at the plate.

“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.”

The game remained within reach entering the sixth, but senior right fielder Ryan Riggins doubled home another run to extend McLean’s advantage to 4-0.

After another quick, scoreless Heritage turn at bat, the Highlanders added two runs in the top of the seventh. Senior Georgetown commit Dan Ockerman then struck out the side in the bottom half to complete the 6-0 shutout.

“I’m proud of how we played today,” Kofinis said. “Our pitching was really good, and it should hold up in districts.”

McLean will close its regular season with a pivotal two-game series against the Marshall Statesmen before entering 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.”