Cougars advance past Surrey
The Central McLean Cougars are moving on in postseason play after putting together one of their most complete performances of the season Thursday night.
Central McLean defeated the Surrey Mustangs 11-3 in a Class B Region 6 Tournament play-in game, using a dominant middle stretch and strong pitching effort to secure a spot in the regional quarterfinals.
The Cougars broke the game open with a six-run third inning and never looked back, improving in all phases while earning the right to face top-seeded Velva/Drake-Anamoose in the opening round of the Region 6 Tournament.
Head coach Mike Skachenko said the performance was largely what the team expected entering the matchup.
“The play-in game against Surrey was expected,” Skachenko said. “We played a great game and executed well. Beckett broke out offensively with a couple nice hits. Mason got on base with a walk and hbp. Ethan Hanson executed with a couple perfect bunts.”
The opening inning moved quickly, with both teams held scoreless as the starting pitchers settled in early.
Central McLean starter Cooper Kittler immediately established control on the mound, working efficiently while piling up strikeouts.
Kittler would go on to throw 4.1 innings, allowing four hits and two runs, only one of which was earned, while striking out eight Surrey batters.
The Cougars broke through first in the bottom of the second inning.
After generating traffic on the bases, Central McLean capitalized on timely execution to push across two runs and take a 2-0 lead.
Chase Kinn delivered one of the key offensive moments of the frame and finished the night with two RBIs while reaching base with a walk.
The third inning proved to be the decisive stretch of the game.
Central McLean exploded for six runs in the inning despite recording only a handful of hits. The Cougars combined patience at the plate with aggressive baserunning and productive situational hitting to quickly turn a close contest into an 8-0 advantage.
Beckett Vaagene highlighted the offensive surge with a breakout performance at the plate. Vaagene finished 2-for-3 with three RBIs and delivered several key hits during the Cougars’ biggest rallies.