Call them baseball-playoff road warriors, at least in elimination games.
For the second straight postseason tournament, the McLean Highlanders (17-10) won a big away contest in difficult venues to win against a higher seed, perennial power and recent state champion to survive and advance and extend their season.
The latest such victory came the night of June 4 against the host and current Region C champion Lake Braddock Bruins in a first-round game of the Virginia High School League’s Class 6 state tournament. McLean took a 1-0 first-inning lead en route to a 5-1 victory, moving on to the June 7 semifinals against the Glen Allen Jaguars (15-8) of the Richmond area.
“We like to play on the road,” McLean coach John Dowling said. “If you can score first and not give up runs early, it’s a momentum-builder.”
The loss snapped Lake Braddock’s nine-game winning streak, handing the Bruins their first home defeat in nine contests.
In the semifinals of the previous 6D North Region tournament, McLean rallied to defeat the host and defending state champion Madison Warhawks, 6-4, in Vienna. Losing would have ended McLean’s season.
McLean had seven hits and took advantage of four errors, a hit batter and walks to defeat Lake Braddock. Aydin Prell’s opposite-field ground-ball single to left field in the first inning scored Ryan Soong to give the Highlanders a 1-0 lead. Soong was hit by a pitch, then advanced to third after an Ethan Ball single and an error.
The lead grew to 3-0 in the fifth inning. Gabe Pegues (two hits) singled and scored on a double by Soong, then Brennan Core (two hits) singled home Soong. McLean’s final two runs came in the seventh when Pegues singled again, Soong walked, an error led to the fourth run, Core singled and Prell got his second RBI on a groundout.
The shutdown pitching of starter Alex Gonzalez (five innings) and closer Jack Nance (two frames) did the rest. They combined for a four-hitter and struck out 13.
Gonzalez fanned nine, allowed one earned run, gave up the four hits with four walks and threw 87 pitches. Nance struck out four – the first four hitters he faced – and allowed no hits. He threw 34 pitches.
“Alex threw really well,” Dowling said. “His stuff is good enough because he misses so many bats that walks don’t cost him that much.”
Senior right-hander Aidan Carey, who will pitch in college at George Washington University, is expected to start against Glen Allen for McLean. Nance could be available in relief.
NOTES: McLean has reached the state-tourney semifinals for the first time since losing to Western Branch in the 2014 season. McLean has never won a state title or reached the championship game . . . McLean already has finished second in Liberty District and region tournaments this season, having a 5-2 playoff record entering the state semifinals . . . The Highlanders continue their playoff run despite an injury bug. Top pitcher Christian Dray has pitched little this season because of arm issues. Also, leadoff batter and a top hitter Yuta Shimo was lost with a knee injury in the game against Madison and one of the team’s top catchers has missed the entire campaign recovering from an injury. “The guys have stepped up well to fill the voids,” Dowling said.