Baseball: Cougars' Losing Streak Stretches to Five Games

Despite a seventh-inning rally that scored three runs, the Oakton High baseball team remains winless in Concorde District competition after a 7-5 loss to Centreville on Thursday.

The Wildcats opened scoring in the first inning with a two-run homer from Kevin LaChance, and the Cougars answered with an RBI double from designated hitter Brandon Chandler in the bottom of the first. 

But the Wildcats extended their lead in the third inning, tacking on three runs with a home run from Mark Behne. They added their last two runs in the fourth inning to hold a six-run advantage heading into the fifth.

Before their seventh-inning rally, the Cougars tacked on one run in the fifth on a fielder's choice RBI from second baseman Ty Carroll. 

The seventh-inning rally started with a one-out walk from right fielder Brian Burns. A single from pinch hitter Jon Pisaro followed by a walk from Carroll loaded the bases. Left fielder Mason Hauser drew a walk to score Burns, then Dennis Cooney knocked in a run on a fielder's choice grounder. The Wildcats then committed an error in a double-play attempt, which allowed Carroll to score. But the rally ended at three runs to put the final score at 7-5. 

Thursday's loss is the Cougars' fifth in a row after starting the season 6-1. They have yet to win against a Concorde District opponent, which puts the Cougars in last place. 

"I just think we've had mental mistakes and things like that," Coach Justin Janis said. "But the kids are playing hard, they're staying after it, they're showing up every day. We've just got to make some plays, but I'm not getting down on these kids. They're not giving up and we're not giving up on them."

The Cougars started the season with most of its starting infield intact from the previous year. The starkest difference between the Concorde District squad from last year and this year's roster is

Through the first seven games of the season, the Cougars allowed an average of 3.3 runs. In their five-game losing streak, the Cougars have given up an average of 5.8 runs. The Cougars have also seen an offensive decline: Through the first seven games, they averaged 7.1 runs per game. Since the start of their losing streak, the Cougars have scored an average of 3.6 runs per game.

"Some guys have stepped up, but we just need a couple more to," Janis said. "When opportunities arise, we need to capitalize. And that's not just pitching, that's for every aspect of the game. You see an opportunity, you take advantage of it."

The Cougars hope to snap their losing streak Tuesday when they travel to Westfield, who earned their first Concorde District win against Centreville earlier this week. 

"Even though we've lost however many in a row, I'm not even counting, I feel like we have the ability to win that many in a row, too," Janis said.