In four years as Porters Chapel’s ace, Montana McDaniel has delivered plenty of memorable performances. Tuesday’s just added to that legacy.

McDaniel needed only 80 pitches to throw a complete game against Wayne Academy. He walked none, struck out seven and gave up five hits to lead PCA to a 9-1 victory in Game 1 of a first-round MAIS Class A playoff series in Waynesboro.

“He was his old, dominant self. He threw a lot of strikes and had a sharp breaking ball,” PCA coach Jerry Bourne said.

Game 2 and, if necessary, Game 3 of the best-of-three series will be played Friday at PCA beginning at 3 p.m. Bourne was confident his team could close out the series, but cautioned they can’t let off the gas either.

“It’s probably going to be a different ballgame,” Bourne said. “We’re going to have to get a good pitching performance from Talbot (Buys). But the way we’re swinging the bats, we’re going to be tough to beat.”

McDaniel made it impossible to beat the Eagles (17-5) on Tuesday night. Sixty-five of his 80 pitches were strikes. Wayne’s only run came on a solo homer by Matt Trigg in the bottom of the first. By then, the Eagles had already spotted McDaniel a three-run lead and they just kept piling on.

Jarad Tompkins drove in a run with an RBI double in the second, the Eagles stretched the lead to 5-1 in the fifth and then blew it open with three more runs in the sixth. A two-out, two-run double by Stephen Purvis made it 8-1 and allowed the Eagles to cruise home.

Tompkins finished the game 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles and an RBI, while Jonah Masterson and Jeff Hearn had two hits apiece.