“It was a big momentum shift for us,” McGill said.
McGill came to the plate with one out and runners on first and second. He was ahead in the count one ball and no strikes and was looking for a fastball. That’s exactly what he got from Preble Shawnee pitcher Jake Jarbo and he jumped all over it, sending it over the wall in almost straightaway center field.
“Jarbo is a good pitcher,” McGill said. “He mixes his stuff up well. He’s tough to hit.
“But even after we had a bad first inning, there was never any doubt in the dugout we could win,” he added.
The Indians (6-0, 3-0 SWBL Buckeye) tacked on an insurance run in the fourth when Cory Keough laid down and beat out a squeeze bunt that got Alex Leach home after he led off the inning with a triple.
“McGill’s home run lifted us,” Carlisle coach Brad Sizemore said. “I told him as he rounded third base that was exactly what we needed at that time.
“He has the potential to hit one every time up,” Sizemore said. “I tell the kids all the time that if they have an advantage in the count they have to take advantage of that, and he did.”
The lead then allowed CHS starting pitcher Michael Pearson to settle down. He tossed five complete innings, allowing all four Arrows runs on five hits and six strikeouts.
Leach came on to pitch the final two innings, earning his second save of the season. Pearson is 2-0.
“We just had several mental errors on the base paths today,” Preble Shawnee coach Kurt Schulze said. “Jarbo pitched a great game with nine strikeouts. You can’t ask much more from him.
“Hats off to Carlisle. They are a good team. They capitalized on our mistakes,” he added.
Keough was the only Carlisle player with multiple hits, going 2-for-4.
Caleb Roberts and Will Amburgey each had two hits for the Arrows (0-2, 0-2).
Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2852, or sweaver@coxohio.com.
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