The first two games of the baseball season resulted in a 1-1 record and different qualify of play for the McLean Highlanders against top private-school teams in the metro area.
McLean wasn't sharp when the Highlanders were blanked in their opener by visiting Gonzaga, 4-0. Away from home a few afternoons later, the high-school squad was more precise in defeating Georgetown Prep, 5-3, a team with multiple players expected to play Division I college ball.
"They [Georgetown Prep] are loaded with a lot of tough outs and have the most talented lineup I have ever seen," McLean coach John Dowling said. "We played solid defense, got three or four loud outs that we needed when balls were hit right at people and tracked down, and we threw strikes and pitched well."
McLean also had some timely hits, getting just five, striking out 10 times but took advantage of five walks and two hit batters.
"We had some good two-strike at-bats," Dowling said.
Ryan Soong had two of those hits and two RBI, including a sacrifice fly, and Yuta Shimo and Gabriel Pegues each had a hit and an RBI. James Harrington had the other McLean hit.
The Highlanders trailed 1-0 after the first inning then scored three runs in the top of the third to take the lead for good. They added single runs in the sixth and seventh.
McLean right-hander Adian Carey, who will pitch in college at George Washington University, started and worked four innings. Brennan Core threw the last 2 2/3 of relief to get the win. Core allowed one hit, no runs, did not walk a batter, fanned two and threw 32 pitches.
Core was not slated to be among the Highlanders' top three or four pitchers this season, but was a standout against Georgetown Prep, Dowling said.
"He's a strike-thrower, he was throwing his slider well, he really competed and we played defense behind him," Dowling said.
The coach said staff ace Carey used his changeup well and was able to pitch inside effectively. He threw 58 pitches and walked just one, allowing four hits.
McLean had four hits against Gonzaga and struck out 15 times. Shimo doubled and Core, Ethan Ball and James Coates had singles.
The Highlanders were hurt by three errors, leading to two unearned runs, and Dowling said other little things didn't go McLean's way and that added up.
Jack Nance started and struck out four in three innings for McLean, followed by. Daniel Alexander Gonzalez working three scoreless innings with four strikeouts and Daniel Ockerman pitched an inning of hitless and scoreless relief.
