The Mavs lost to the Vandegrift Vipers in a fashion they know all too well. Once again, the pitching and defense kept the team in the game, but the bats could never get going and with Vandegrift throwing their ace, Ole Miss commit Evan Farrow, McNeil could only scratch across one run in another loss.

Hopes were high for Tuesday night as the highly anticipated returns of middle-infielding duo junior Joseph Sandusky and junior Will Hoggard were set to make their district debut. Both had injured their wrists prior to district play, but now they were back in the lineup, finally allowing the Mavs to be at full strength. The game started with a scoreless first few innings, as Farrow and senior Pierce Stone were both throwing great games, but just as before, McNeil blinked first. Vandegrift was the first to score, taking a 1-0 lead before adding another, making it a 2-0 game. McNeil couldn’t get anything going until the fifth inning when they had the bases loaded. A wild pitch scored one run to make the score 2-1, but nothing else came of the inning, as McNeil left two runners on base. Vandegrift struck across three more runs, and McNeil couldn’t overcome the deficit, eventually losing 5-1 and falling to 2-4 L on the season.

Despite the losses, every game has been close, leaving optimism that the Mavs can rebound and start a winning streak. With the competitiveness in the district, every game matters, which is something this team is very aware of. The most promising part of the schedule is just around the corner, and if the Mavs want to play in May, they’re going to need to figure out how to win these next games.