The McLennan Highlanders swept Midland this afternoon at Bosque River Ballpark to complete the three-game series sweep of the Chaparrals.
McLennan took game one 11-5 with Riggs Threadgill earning the win on the mounds.
Midland scored two runs in the top of the first. Deylan Pigford singled and Ryan Hunt walked, both advanced on a balk. Ethan Mann followed with a sacrifice fly to score Pigford. Jarred Gibson then singled to score Hunt.
The Chaparrals added two runs in the second. Zack Swindell doubled and scored on a single by Pigford. Mann then tripled to score Pigford.
McLennan tied the game with four runs in the bottom of the second. Cole Moore walked, Caleb Balgaard was hit by the pitch and Hank Bard also walked to load the bases. Miguel Santos followed with a sacrifice fly to score Moore. Nick Pierce then doubled to score Balgaard, and Bard scored on a ground out by Seth Morrow.
Balgaard's solo home run in the third gave McLennan the lead.
The Highlanders added four more runs in the fourth. Pierce and Morrow drew back-to-back walks to lead off the inning. Pierce moved to third on a wild pitch and Morrow stole second. Pierce scored on a sacrifice fly by Jalen Battles. Garrett Martin singled and Moore doubled to score Morrow and Martin. Balgaard then singled to score Moore.
McLennan's final two runs of the game came in the bottom of the sixth. Battles and Jimmy Crooks both walked. Battles scored on a single by Moore, and Bard was hit by the pitch. Santos then singled to score Crooks.
Midland rounded out the scoring with a run in the top of the seventh as Hunt singled, moved to second on a single by Gibson and scored as Preston Baumgartner reached on an error.
The Highlanders defeated the Chaparrals 8-3 in the nightcap with Mason Hilton picking up the win.
McLennan scored five runs in the bottom of the third inning. Crooks singled and Martin was hit by the pitch. Moore singled to score Crooks, and Santos was safe on an error. Alex Lopez followed with a three-run homer.
Midland got on the board with a run in the fifth as Cooper Juaz walked, moved to second on a single by Pigford and scored on a single by Hunt.
The Highlanders added three runs in the bottom of the fifth. Jaylen Williams walked and Morrow singled. Battles singled to score Williams, and Crooks singled to score Morrow. Battles then scored on a sacrifice fly by Moore.
The Chaparrals scored two runs in the top of the seventh. Pigford reached on an error and scored on a triple by Hunt. Hunt then came in to score on a passed ball.
"We are proud to have gotten off to a 3-0 start. Anytime you can sweep an opponent in a series you've got to be proud of the guys," head coach Mitch Thompson said. "We played well enough to win but we didn't play exceptionally well in any facet of the game. Today was better than yesterday and I'm really proud of a couple guys on the mound. I thought Riggs Threadgill was superior and outstanding coming in out of the bullpen in game one. He earned the win and it was great to see him that kind of success and throw the ball the way he did. Then Mason Hilton was equally as good in game two on the mound."
"Offensively we continued to get a lot of guys at bats and a lot of guys opportunities. We are trying to create as many opportunities as we can and let the guys feel their way out and let it all figure itself out as to who is going to be playing where and when. The good thing is that we have competition on this ball club; we have a bunch of hungry guys who are looking to get better each and every day."
McLennan 11, Midland 5
Midland 220 000 1 – 5 11 0
McLennan 041 402 x – 11 9 1
Jan Cabrera, Brandon Chamberlain (4), Cameron Dayton (6) and Jarred Gibson. Dawson Sweatt, Riggs Threadgill (3), Daniel Cole (7) and Jimmy Crooks. WP: Threadgill; LP: Cabrera. Leading hitters – Midland: Deylan Pigford (2-4, RBI), Ryan Hunt (2-3), Ethan Mann (1-2, 3B, 2 RBI), Jarred Gibson (2-4, RBI), Preston Baumgartner (1-4, RBI) and Zack Swindell (1-4, RBI); McLennan: Jalen Battles (0-1, RBI), Jimmy Crooks (1-3, RBI), Cole Moore (2-3, 2B, 3 RBI), Caleb Balgaard (2-3, HR, 2 RBI), Miguel Santos (2-3, 2 RBI), Nick Pierce (1-3, 2B, RBI) and Seth Morrow (0-2, RBI). Record: McLennan 2-0.
McLennan 8, Midland 3
Midland 000 010 2 – 3 3 1
McLennan 005 030 x – 8 10 2
Peyton Hutson, Troy Lincavage (3), Jack Junker (5), Cameron Dayton (5) and Cade Kennedy. Mason Hilton, Joey Martin (4), Rene Ramos (6) and Cole Moore. WP: Hilton; LP: Hutson. Leading hitters – Midland: Ryan Hunt (2-4, 3B, 2 RBI); McLennan: Jalen Battles (1-3, RBI), Jimmy Crooks (2-3, RBI), Cole Moore (3-3, 2B, 2 RBI), Hank Bard (0-1, RBI), Alex Lopez (1-4, HR, 3 RBI) and Jaylen Williams (1-3, 2B). Record: McLennan 3-0.
