What the McLean Highlanders have learned during their six-game winning is being perfect isn't necessary.
Consistently making the basic plays while eliminating mistakes and fielding errors has worked, as the high-school baseball team stands 11-6 overall and has moved into a three-way tie for first place in the loss column with a 7-3 record in the Liberty District through April 26 action, as a result of that victory string.
The stretch includes a 14-5 triumph over the host Langley Saxons (10-6, 6-3) that April 26 night in a league neighborhood clash.
The Yorktown Patriots (11-5, 6-3) also have the same number of league losses as McLean. Those teams play tonight, April 29.
Yorktown was the last team to beat McLean, winning by a 6-5 score. That was McLean's fourth straight one-run loss this season.
"We kicked it around and beat ourselves in almost all of those [one-run games]. Wrong things happened at absolutely the worst times," McLean coach John Dowling said. "We are playing better defense now and are in more control now on the defensive side. We have found out we don't have to be perfect on defense, but we have to be good."
McLean also has been a good pitching team all season and has been a good hitting squad during the streak, having 12 and 10 hits in two of those contests, and eight in the four others.
The 12 hits came in the victory over Langley. Gabe Pegues had three hits, with a double, and two RBI. Yuta Shimo homered, had two hits and two RBI; Ethan Ball (batting .500) had two hits; Ryan Soong had a hit and two RBI; Brennan Core had a hit and a sacrifice fly; and Aydin Prell, J.W. Harrington and Jamie Coates had a hit each.
The homer was Shimo's third from the leadoff position since he was moved to that position in recent games.
"He's done an awesome job at that spot, and Ethan Ball has been hitting missiles," Dowling said.
On defense, Langley made just one error and starter Jack Nance pitched five innings with five strikeouts to get the win.
McLean topped the Herndon Hornets, 5-1, in its previous game as Alex Gonzalez threw a 98-pitch complete game six-hitter and struck out 12 with two walks and an earned run allowed. Shimo's solo homer was one of McLean's eight hits.
Eight different players had hits. Soong doubled and had an RBI, Ball had a hit and two RBI and Harrington, Coates, Prell, Pegues and Dan Ockerman had the other hits.
On defense, McLean made one error.
The Highlanders defeated South Lakes and Wakefield by 7-3 scores, Marshall, 4-2, and Washington-Liberty, 6-4, for its other winning-streak victories. Aidan Carey was the starting and winning pitcher in two of those games and Ockerman and Gonzalez had the others.
Ball homered and tripled in those games, Prell homered, Shimo doubled twice and Pegues, Core and Reid Turner doubled, as well.
