Taking advantage of favorable wind conditions, the host Yorktown Patriots won a key Liberty District baseball showdown for first place the night of March 31 by belting four home runs, two by shortstop Trevor McAndrews, in a 10-9 seesaw victory over the McLean Highlanders.
The Patriots improved to 4-2 overall and 4-0 in the league with their fourth win in a row. McLean fell to 4-1, 2-1.
“That was a huge win for us, because now we are in first place alone and in control of our own destiny,” Yorktown coach John Skaggs said.
Yorktown took the lead for good by scoring five runs in the fifth inning, a frame when McAndrews hit his second homer and Tyler Woodward smacked a solo blast. His brother Owen Woodward had a solo homer, as well, in the third inning and doubled in the fourth.
McAndrews also doubled in the game and had four RBI. Additionally, McAndrews homered twice in Yorktown’s previous game.
In all, Yorktown had seven hits against McLean, with Jack Rucker and Brad Labant having RBI singles. Rucker added an RBI sacrifice bunt.
“We hit the ball great tonight and we made some big plays, but our defense wasn’t very good,” Skaggs said.
Yorktown made four errors and survived three walks and two hit batters.
Rucker was the winning pitcher in relief, working the final 21/3 innings with two strikeouts.
For Skaggs, the victory over McLean on Yorktown’s home field was his first since he began coaching the Patriots in 2015.
Prior to playing McLean, Yorktown defeated the Langley Saxons, 9-6, in another district game a few days earlier.
For Yorktown, McAndrews hit two home runs and had four RBI and Rucker smacked a two-run homer and added a sacrifice fly. Labant and Ryan Powers also had big hits, and Kyle Langley had a bunt single.
“We hit the ball very well,” Skaggs said.
James Pilot started on the mound for Yorktown, and Thomas Ogden, Thomas Koomey and D.J. Richert and Rucker pitched in relief. Rucker earned the save by striking out the last batter, and the only one he faced, with two runners on base.
