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McLean’s baseball season ended Thursday, May 28, after Oakton pulled away late for a 13-3 mercy-rule victory in the first round of the regional tournament.

The Highlanders entered the game determined to compete through the final out.

“We wanted to win by any means necessary and play the game with the highest level of intensity until the final out,” junior pitcher Jean Lloyd said.

Senior pitcher JW Riggins opened the game with a strikeout, but the Cougars put runners on base and scored twice before Riggins closed the top of the first with another strikeout.

McLean responded quickly. Junior Kyle Peterson drew a leadoff walk, and Riggins also walked before stealing two bases. Sophomore catcher Carter Jones then sent a ground ball into left field that brought Riggins home, cutting Oakton’s lead to 2-1.

Both defenses controlled the next two innings with strikeouts and sharp fielding, keeping the Highlanders within one run.

Oakton’s offense broke through in the fourth, stringing together several hits to build a 5-1 advantage. McLean answered with its strongest offensive inning of the game, scoring twice to pull within 5-3.

“A big part of baseball is staying level-headed even when things aren’t going your way,” Jones said. “When we saw that we were losing, some guys on the team started a huddle and made sure that everyone just focused on what they can control, like effort and composure.”

Senior Daniel Ockerman reached base after being hit by a pitch, Wormington followed with a walk, and senior outfielder Ryan Riggins singled to load the bases before the Highlanders brought home a run.

The Cougars seized control again in the fifth inning. Walks and defensive errors helped Oakton score five runs and stretch its lead to 11-3. McLean stopped an attempted steal of home plate but could not mount another comeback.

Oakton added two more runs in a quick sixth inning, ending the game 13-3 under the mercy rule and closing the Highlanders’ season.

“We got really unlucky with Oakton’s hitting,” sophomore pitcher Alex Inget said. “They were able to hit the ball to places where we weren’t positioned, and they were able to take full advantage of that on the bases.”