The No. 6 McLennan Highlanders and North Central Lions split today's conference doubleheader.
The Lions rallied to take the opener 13-8.
McLennan opened with two runs in the first inning as Brennon Seigler walked and scored on Tyler Ness's two-run homer.
Two more Highlander runs scored in the second. Brody Chyr singled and advanced on ground outs by Brandon Dickinson and Brock Lulewicz. Ramon Corona followed with a two-run homer.
North Central scored three in the bottom of the second. Evan Wells doubled and scored on a double by Colson Wood. Jackson Ridge then doubled to score Wood. Ridge advanced to third on a ground out by Drew Roberts and scored on a ground out by Isaiah Casteneda.
The Lions tied the game with Ty Besker's solo home run in the third.
North Central went on top with five runs in the fourth. Wood singled, Ridge walked and Roberts reached on an error, loading the bases. Casteneda singled to score Wood, and a fielder's choice by Austin Myers put Ridge out at the plate. Besker followed with a grand slam.
McLennan added a run in the fifth. Corona led off with a single and advanced on a wild pitch. Peyton Firgens walked. Both runners advanced on an error, and Corona scored on a ground out by Seigler.
Wood's solo home run in the bottom of the fifth put the Lions back up by five, 10-5.
Another Highlander run scored in the sixth. Corona walked and advanced on a wild pitch. Firgens then singled to score Corona.
Three more North Central runs scored in the bottom of the sixth. Myers tripled and Kai Reid walked. Besker followed with a three-run homer.
McLennan rounded out the scoring with two runs in the top of the seventh. Ness led off with a solo shot. Cooper McEnroe was hit by the pitch and Chyr singled. Brett Haggerty walked to load the bases. McEnroe then scored on a wild pitch.
The Highlanders bounced back to take the series finale 12-3 with Hawk Bowers getting the win on the mound.
McLennan took the early lead with four runs in the top of the second. Chyr hit a solo home run. Brady Quinn doubled and scored on a double by Lulewicz. Hayden Crites doubled to score Lulewicz, and Firgens singled to score Crites.
The Lions put three on the board in the fourth. Wells and Wood both singled, and Ridge walked to load the bases. Wells scored on a wild pitch, and Wood scored on a ground out by Joshua Blanco. Myers was hit by the pitch, and Reid singled to score Ridge.
The Highlanders scored three in the top of the seventh. Crites walked and Firgens singled, both advancing on a wild pitch. Seigler followed with a three-run homer.
McLennan exploded for five runs in the top of the eighth inning. Lulewicz walked and Crites singled. Firgens followed with a doubled to score both runners. Seigler and Ness then produced aback-to-back home runs.
North Central 13, McLennan 8
McLennan 220 011 2 – 8 7 1
North Central 031 513 x – 13 12 1
Logan Harris, AJ Grizzaffi (4), Gavin McCullough (6) and Ramon Corona. Riley Hoelscher, Brayden Stout (4), Merrick Beamish (6), Ryder Cameron (7) and Logan Sanchez. WP: Stout; LP: Harris. Leading hitters – McLennan: Peyton Firgens (1-3, RBI), Brennon Seigler (0-2, RBI), Tyler Ness (2-3, 2 HR, 3 RBI), Brody Chyr (2-4) and Ramon Corona (2-3, HR, 2 RBI); North Central: Ty Besker (4-4, 3 HR, 8 RBI), Evan Wells (1-4, 2B), Colson Wood (3-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI), Jackson Ridge (1-2, 2B, RBI), Isaiah Casteneda (1-4, 2 RBI), Austin Myers (1-3, 3B) and Drew Roberts (1-3, 2B). Record: McLennan 36-8 (17-6).
McLennan 12, North Central 3
McLennan 040 000 35 – 12 12 0
North Central 000 300 00 – 3 7 0
Hawk Bowers, Charlie Kincaid (4), Griffin Lewis (8) and Hayden Crites. Isiah Casteneda, Monte Dismuke (4), Will Hickson (7), Jax Stockton (8) and Colson Wood. WP: Bowers; LP: Casteneda. Leading hitters – McLennan: Peyton Firgens (3-5, 2B, 3 RBI), Brennon Seigler (3-5, 2 HR, 5 RBI), Tyler Ness (1-3, HR, RBI), Brody Chyr (1-3, HR, RBI), Brady Quinn (1-3, 2B), Brock Lulewicz (1-3, 2B, RBI) and Hayden Crites (2-3, 2B, RBI); North Central: Kai Reid (2-4, RBI), Drew Roberts (1-3, 2B) and Joshua Blanco (0-4, RBI). Record: McLennan 37-8 (18-6).
