The No. 3 McLennan Highlanders swept the Angelina Roadrunners to even the four-game series with two wins for each team.
The Highlanders defeated the Roadrunners 9-1 in the opening game with Alex DeLeon getting the win on the mound and Max Mize picking up the save.
McLennan scored the first two runs in the bottom of the first. Cole Moore drew a walk and scored on a triple by Thomas Santos. Santos then scored on a double by Brett Squires.
The Highlanders added a run in the fourth as Santos walked, advanced around to third on an Angelina error and scored on a fielder's choice by Ryan Bishop.
Three more McLennan runs scored in the fifth. Aidan Shepardson singled and scored on a Moore double. Santos drew a walk and Squires followed with the two-run homer.
The Highlanders' final three runs came in the bottom of the sixth. Brooks Embry and Kendall Foster both singled. Moore followed with a three-run bomb.
Angelina's only run came in the top of the seventh. Dylan Murphy singled and Euro Diaz doubled. Sam Gotlieb followed with a single to score Murphy.
McLennan defeated the Roadrunners 7-5 in game two with Jase Embry getting the win on the mound.
Angelina got on the board with a run in the top of the second. Dillon Nesbit and JoJo Munoz both singled. Nesbit then came in to score on a passed ball.
All seven of McLennan's runs scored in the bottom of the second. Squires drew a lead-off walk and Jaylen Williams singled. Brooks Embry followed with a single to score Squires, and Vince Ippoliti doubled to score Williams. Aidan Shepardson was safe at first base on a passed-ball third strike that brought Embry in to score. Ippoliti then scored on a sacrifice fly by Jalen Battles. Moore and Santos both singled. An Angelina error brought Moore in to score, and Santos scored on a single by Squires.
The Roadrunners added two runs in the sixth. Dylan Murphy singled and Euro Diaz was safe at first on a McLennan error. Murphy came in to score on a wild pitch, and Diaz scored on another Highlander error.
Angelina rounded out the scoring with two runs in the top of the seventh. Trent Brown and Taylor Meaux drew back-to-back walks. Drake Pierson followed with a single to score Meaux, and Meaux scored when Sean Bergeron hit into a 6-4-3 double play.
"It was really great to get our entire club together and bounce back from a disappointing opening doubleheader on the road on Saturday," head coach Mitch Thompson said. "I was really pleased with our two starting pitchers today; I thought Jase Embry and Alex DeLeon set the tone. Our sophomore position players, particularly Thomas Santos and Aidan Shepardson, brought a big boost and a presence into our dugout that was evident with our offensive team. We hit some balls hard today; we scored some runs; and for the most part we played good defense except for one inning."
"Overall I have to be pleased with the first two wins of the year. I'm really pleased with the bounce back. I'm really glad to see our entire ball club together again, and it was a lot more fun today than Saturday was for sure. This weekend we have Midland College three times on the road. It will be a bit-time challenge out in Midland and we will be working this week to get ready for that."
The Highlanders travel to Midland for a three-game series beginning with a single game Friday at 4 p.m., followed by a noon doubleheader Saturday.
McLennan 9, Angelina 2
Angelina 000 000 2 – 2 6 1
McLennan 200 133 x – 9 10 0
Lance Lusk, Wesley Gafford (5), Garrett Mullican (5) and Sam Gotlieb. Alex DeLeon, Max Mize (5) and Ryan Bishop. WP: DeLeon; LP: Lusk; SV: Mize. Leading hitters – Angelina: Trent Brown (1-1, 2B), Euro Diaz (1-3, 2B), and Sam Gotlieb (1-3, RBI); McLennan: Cole Moore (2-3, 2B, HR, 4 RBI), Thomas Santos (1-2, 3B, RBI), Brett Squires (2-3, 2B, HR, 3 RBI), and Ryan Bishop (0-3, RBI). Record: McLennan 1-2.
McLennan 7, Angelina 5
Angelina 010 002 2 – 5 6 2
McLennan 070 000 x – 7 9 3
Jacob Mead, Dalton Roblin (2) and Dillon Nesbit. Jase Embry, Jack Driskell (5), Brant Bennett (6), Payton Strambler (7) and Vince Ippoliti. WP: Embry; LP: Mead. Leading hitters – Angelina: Drake Pierson (2-4, RBI); McLennan: Jalen Battles (0-3, RBI), Thomas Santos (1-3, RBI), Brett Squires (1-2, RBI), Brooks Embry (1-3, RBI), and Vince Ippoliti (3-3, 2B, RBI). Record: McLennan 2-2.
