The sixth-ranked McLennan Highlanders picked up a pair of conference wins over the North Central Lions this afternoon at Bosque River Ballpark to get the series win, 3-1.
McLennan outlasted North Central 4-3 in the opener with Henry Cone getting the win and Trey Cehajic picking up the save.
North Central scored one in the third as Austin Wallace walked, stole second advanced to third on a balk and scored on a fly out by Josh Phillips.
The Highlanders took the lead with two runs in the bottom of the inning. Elijah Rodriguez walked and Jason Hawkins singled. Hawkins stole second and both runners scored on a single by Ty Johnson.
A solo home run by the Lions' J. Phillips led off the sixth and tied the game at two.
McLennan took the lead again with two runs in the bottom of the sixth. Hawkins doubled and Johnson singled. A sac bunt by Aidan Kuni brought Hawkins in to score. Blake Hansen walked and Britton Moore singled to score Johnson.
North Central rounded out the scoring with a run in the top of the seventh. Aiden Kelley was hit by the pitch and advanced around to third on a pair of balks. Jeremiah Sanchez then grounded out to score Kelley.
Game two was a 13-5 walk-off run-rule win for the Highlanders with Connor Zaruba on the mound.
The Highlanders first run came in the bottom of the second. Kuni doubled and Hansen singled. Kuni then scored on a sacrifice bunt by Katcher Halligan.
Three more McLennan runs scored in the fourth. Hansen walked and Karson Krowka was hit by the pitch. Both runners scored on a double by Jake D'Altrui. Rodriguez then doubled to score D'Altrui.
The Highlanders added two more runs in the fifth. Johnson singled and Moore was hit by the pitch. Both runners advanced on a double steal, and Johnson scored on a sac fly by Kuni. Moore then scored on a single by Hansen.
North Central put three runs on the board in the sixth. Zak Betancourt walked and Gabriel Colina singled. Wallace followed with a three-run homer.
Another Highlander run score in the bottom of the sixth. Rodriguez and Brodey Williams both walked. Rodriguez advanced to third on a fly out by Johnson, and stole home on another double steal.
The Lions added two runs in the top of the seventh as Luke Capel walked and scored on Betancourt's home run.
McLennan secured the run rule with six runs in the bottom of the seventh. Kuni walked and Hansen singled, both advancing on a ground out by Halligan. Krowka singled to score Kuni. D'Altrui sacrificed to score Hansen and was safe on an error. Rodriguez was hit by the pitch, and Williams reached on an error to score Krowka and D'Altrui. Rodriguez sand Williams both stole a base, and Rodriguez scored on an error. Williams then stole third and scored on a fly out by Johnson to end the game.
McLennan 4, North Central 3
North Central 001 001 1 – 3 5 0
McLennan 002 002 x – 4 5 0
Dakota McCaskill, Justin Mays (6) and Pierce Gisler. Zach Cawyer, Henry Cone (6), Trey Cehajic (7) and Jason Hawkins, Brodey Williams. WP: Cone; LP: McCaskill; SV: Cehajic. Leading hitters – North Central: Josh Phillips (2-3, 2B, HR, 2 RBI) and Jeremiah Sanchez (0-2, RBI); McLennan: Jason Hawkins (2-3, 2B), Ty Johnson (2-2, 2 RBI), Aidan Kuni (0-1, RBI) and Britton Moore (1-3, RBI). Record: McLennan 24-8 (8-3).
McLennan 13, North Central 5
North Central 000 003 2 – 5 5 4
McLennan 010 321 6 – 13 8 1
Garrett Brogdon, Trent Nickerson (6), Charles Mooney (7) and Luke Capel. Connor Zaruba, Cooper Hrbacek (6), Max Hamilton (7) and Brodey Williams. WP: Zaruba; LP: Brogdon. Leading hitters – North Central: Austin Wallace (2-3, HR, 3 RBI) and Zak Betancourt (1-2, HR, 2 RBI); McLennan: Elijah Rodriguez (1-3, 2B, RBI), Ty Johnson (1-5, RBI), Aidan Kuni (1-2, 2B, RBI), Blake Hansen (3-3, RBI), Katcher Halligan (0-4, RBI), Karson Krowka (1-3, RBI) and Jake D'Altrui (1-2, 3 RBI). Record: McLennan 25-8 (9-3).
