The McLennan Highlanders and Grayson Vikings split today's conference-opening doubleheader at Bosque River Ballpark.
Grayson picked up the 5-3 win in the opener with Carson Bailey taking the loss on the mound.
Grayson began the scoring with a run in the top of the first. Easton Paxton singled and advanced on a passed ball. Isaac Rios reached on an error, putting Paxton on third. Paxton then stole home.
The Vikings added another run in the second. JT Cienega singled, advanced on a passed ball and moved to third on a ground out by Josh Jordan. Blake Lewis then doubled to score Cienega.
McLennan got on the board with a run in the bottom of the second. Brady Quinn singled and Brody Chyr was hit by the pitch. Abdiel Hernandez Sostre walked to load the bases. Quinn then scored on a sac fly by Brennon Seigler.
Two more Grayson runs scored in the fourth. Cayden Campbell and Jordan both singled. Caleb Watkins singled to score Campbell, and Jordan scored on a single by Lewis.
The Highlanders also added two runs in the fourth. Seigler singled and Firgens doubled. Brock Lulewicz followed with a single, scoring Seigler, and Firgens scored on an error.
The Vikings scored another run in the sixth to round out the scoring. Campbell led off with a double and scored on a triple by Watkins.
McLennan bounced back to defeat Grayson 3-2 in the nightcap. Stevie Doty picked up the win on the mound.
Grayson scored two in the fifth as Boyd Thompson singled and scored on a Watkins home run.
McLennan put one on the board in the bottom of the fifth. Firgens led off with a double and advanced on a ground out by Seigler. Lulewicz followed with a single to score Firgens.
The Highlanders tied the game with a run in the bottom of the sixth. Brandon Dickinson doubled and stole third. Firgens walked and Seigler singled, scoring Dickinson.
Sam Jenkins' solo home run for McLennan in the bottom of the seventh put the Highlanders on top.
Grayson 5, McLennan 3
Grayson 110 201 0 – 5 10 1
McLennan 010 200 0 – 3 5 1
Grant Origer, Jacob Reish (4) and Josh Jordan. Carson Bailey, Griffin Lewis (5) and Ramon Corona. Leading hitters – Grayson: Blake Lewis (2-4, 2B, 2 RBI), Cayden Campbell (2-3, 2B) and Caleb Watkins (2-3, 3B, 2 RBI); McLennan: Brennon Seigler (1-3, RBI), Peyton Firgens (1-2, 2B) and Brock Lulewicz (1-3, RBI). Record: McLennan 11-3 (0-1).
McLennan 3, Grayson 2
Grayson 000 020 000 – 2 7 1
McLennan 000 011 10x – 3 7 0
Jack Sharp, Owen Ewton (4), Coleman Allison (6), Caleb Danielle (8) and Boyd Thompson. Stevie Doty, Logan Harris (7) and Michael Peavy. WP: Doty; LP: Allison. Leading hitters – Grayson: Blake Lewis (2-4), JT Cienega (2-4, Boyd Thompson (2-3) and Caleb Watkins (1-3, HR, 2 RBI); McLennan: Peyton Firgens (1-3, 2B), Brennon Seigler (1-4, 2B, RBI), Brock Lulewicz (1-3, RBI), Cooper McEnroe (2-4, 2B), Sam Jenkins (1-3, HR, RBI) and Brandon Dickinson (1-3, 2B). Record: McLennan 12-3 (1-1).
