Fresh off their 3-1 win Friday over defending region champion Brentwood, the First Presbyterian Christian Academy baseball team wanted to show it wasn’t a fluke.
The Highlanders proved it wasn’t by shutting down Bethesda Academy, 15-0, in three innings Monday at the St. James baseball field.
FPCA had an 8-0 lead by the end of the first inning. In the second inning, the Highlanders added two more runs.
James Phillips started on the mound for FPCA, but was relieved by Dalton Smiley, who got the last out in the first inning. Darius Tilghman pitched the second inning and got three strikeouts. Christian Ruff pitched the third inning, also getting three strikeouts.
In the third inning, Jake Lee was walked and stole second. After Ruff was walked, Phillips hit one to the fence, scoring Lee and Ruff, and scored on a bad throw to go up, 13-0. James Moon drew a walk and stole second and third. The Highlanders loaded the bases, and Bethesda walked in a run. With bases still loaded, DJ Jefferson was hit by a pitch to walk in the run that enforced the mercy run-rule.
FPCA was scheduled to play  region opponent Edmund Burke on Tuesday afternoon; results were unavailable at press time.