Gray McLean scored twice, Skyler Woods drove in two, and Blake Bryant had another double-digit strikeout performance (along with a pair of doubles) Thursday at Tampa in the CCA Patriots’ 5-1 win over the Lexington Catholic (Kentucky) Knights.
All of the scoring took place in the first two innings. The Patriots scored three in the first and two in the second. The Knights, meanwhile, pushed their lone run across in the first.
The game opened painfully enough for leadoff hitter McLean, who was hit with a 3-2 pitch. Thomas Gentry singled to put runners at first and second. Bryant was next with the first of his two doubles on the day, scoring McLean. Woods drove in the final two runs of the inning with a single that scored pinch runner Tyson Crosby and Gentry.
The following inning, Jonah Hall set the table with a leadoff double. McLean recorded his second hit of the game with a single, moving Hall to third. Hall scored on a passed ball with Gentry at the plate. McLean advanced to third on the play. Then Gentry hit a fly out to center that scored McLean and put the Patriots up 5-1. That advantage would hold for the rest of the game.
Gentry and Bryant had two hits each. Jackson Knight walked twice. McLean had a stolen base as well.
Bryant picked up the win with a 103-pitch outing. He went six innings and gave up one unearned run on two hits. He struck out 13 and walked two. Clay Phillips faced two batters then turned the ball over to McLean, who came in next and shut down the Knights to end the game.
The Patriots are 12-1 overall. They have two more games on their Tampa road trip, both of which take place Friday. They face North Oldham (Goshen, Kentucky) at 9:30 a.m. and Loyola Academy (Wilmette, Illinois) at 3:30 p.m.
