The No. 6 McLennan Highlanders picked up another conference sweep with two victories over the North Central Lions in Gainesville Wednesday.
McLennan defeated North Central 11-1 in the opener with Alex DeLeon getting the win on the mound.
North Central began the scoring with a run in the bottom of the second. Connor Gage doubled, and Khalili Robinson walked. Gage was caught stealing and Jager Straub walked. Clay Stevens then singled to score Robinson.
McLennan took the lead with four runs in the third inning. Jalen Battles and Cole Moore both walked and scored on Garrett Martin's three-run homer. Brett Squires followed with a solo shot.
Battles and Moore both homered in the fourth to put the Highlanders up 6-1.
Two more McLennan runs scored in the fifth. Aidan Shepardson drew a lead-off walk and scored on a double by Ryan Bishop. Bishop then moved to third on an error and scored on a wild pitch.
Another two Highlander runs came across in the sixth. Martin walked and Thomas Santos singled. Martin moved to third on a fielder's choice by Shepardson that put Santos out at second. Bishop then singled to score Martin and Shepardson.
McLennan rounded out the scoring with a run in the top of the seventh. Moore and Martin both singled. Squires was hit by the pitch to load the bases. Moore came in to score on a wild pitch.
The Highlanders got the 15-5 run-rule victory over the Lions in game two with Jase Embry picking up the win on the mound. Embry recorded 14 strikeouts in the six-inning game.
McLennan took control of the game with nine runs in the second inning. Martin and Squires both singled. Santos followed with a single to score Martin, and Squires scored on a wild pitch. Jordan Yeatts walked and Santos scored on a sacrifice by Shepardson. Vince Ippoliti walked and Ryan Neitsch was hit by the pitch. Yeatts scored on a Battles fielder's choice that put Neitsch out at second. Moore singled to score Ippoliti. Martin followed with the three-run homer, and Squires hit a solo shot.
North Central scored two in the bottom of the second as Gage and Nick Tamez both singled, Gage scored on a single by Josh Blankenship and Tamez scored on a McLennan error.
The Highlanders added two runs in the third as Yeatts doubled and scored on a Shepardson home run.
The Lions' final three runs came in the bottom of the third. Clay Stevens walked and stole second. Tyrese Clayborne followed with a single to score Stevens. Kemuel Thomas-Rivera was hit by the pitch and Spencer Bloom singled. Tamez then singled to score Clayborne and Thomas-Rivera.
McLennan added two more runs in the fourth as Martin tripled and scored on another Squires home run.
The Highlanders secured the run rule with two runs in the sixth. Martin drew a lead-off walk and Squires doubled. Santos walked to load the bases. Martin scored on a sacrifice fly by Yeatts, and Squires scored on a double by Shepardson.
The teams will complete the four-game series with a 1 p.m. doubleheader Friday at Bosque River Ballpark.
McLennan 11, North Central 1
McLennan 004 222 1 – 11 12 0
North Central 010 000 0 – 1 6 2
Alex DeLeon, Rene Ramos (7) and Ryan Bishop. Zeke Wood, Morris Austin (4), Quincy Cooper (6) and Josh Blankenship. WP: DeLeon; LP: Wood. Leading hitters – McLennan: Jalen Battles (1-3, HR, RBI), Cole Moore (2-4, HR, RBI), Garrett Martin (3-4, HR, 3 RBI), Brett Squires (1-2, HR, RBI) and Ryan Bishop (2-5, 2B, 3 RBI); North Central: Clay Stevens (1-3, RBI), Spencer Bloom (1-3, 2B), Tyrese Clayborne (1-4, 2B) and Connor Gage (2-3, 2B). Record: McLennan 22-7 (8-1).
McLennan 15, North Central 5
McLennan 092 202 – 15 12 1
North Central 023 000 – 5 7 2
Jase Embry and Vince Ippoliti. Spencer Sawain, Justin Lundquist-Irvin (4), Chase Glover (6) and Tyler Torres. WP: Embry. LP: Sawain. Leading hitters – McLennan: Jalen Battles (0-5, RBI), Cole Moore (1-4, RBI), Garrett Martin (3-3, 3B, HR, 3 RBI), Brett Squires (4-4, 2B, 2 HR, 3 RBI), Thomas Santos (1-3, RBI), Jordan Yeatts (1-2, 2B, RBI), Aidan Shepardson (2-3, 2B, HR, 4 RBI); North Central: Tyrese Clayborne (2-3, RBI), Nick Tamez (2-3, 2 RBI) and Josh Blankenship (1-3, RBI). Record: McLennan 23-7 (9-1).
