Class 3A baseball: Washington's Cam Bates delivers in clutch for second straight state title

For the better part of the season, shortstop Cam Bates was in the ear of Washington coach Jeff Kulbeth leading his own small campaign.

Bates wanted the baseball on the mound in a big moment. Even with rarely pitching, he told his coach to trust him.

Kulbeth kept the idea in his back pocket for the right situation, believing it would arrive.

Saturday, that moment came.

With the bases loaded and one out in the sixth inning of the Class 3A state baseball championship and Washington clinging to a three-run advantage, Kulbeth turned to his star Tennessee signee.

“You just put a competitor in a competitive situation,” Kulbeth said, “and you let him go.”

Bates certainly shined.

The 5-foot-10 senior escaped the jam unharmed and then shut the door in the seventh to lead the way to 10-7 victory over Tulsa Cascia Hall at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark for a second straight state title.

“My whole life I’ve been competitive and never really thought that anybody could beat me,” Bates said.

Oklahoma high school baseball: Class 6A-2A state tournament semifinals roundup

Washington also won state titles in football and fastpitch softball this school year. But the baseball title is a statement for a team on the rise.

Washington has 22 state championships combined between fastpitch and slowpitch softball. The high school has 46 state titles across all programs.

Still, the back-to-back wins for baseball are the lone titles in program history.

“It means that I think we’re a program,” Kulbeth said. “It’s a program. We had guys buy in a couple, three years ago and it’s just developed into this. We have some unbelievable talent and we could have just rolled (to) those guys, but the commitment that they put in and the work they put in to not lose is such a program thing for us.”

Washington (32-5) jumped to a 4-0 lead in the first while sending nine players to the plate. The Warriors scored all their runs with two outs, getting run-scoring hits from Kane Springer, Jake Wells and Kade Norman, the starting pitcher.

The lead was extended to 6-1 in the second when Bates scored on a passed ball and Dax McCaskill drove in another run.

Cascia Hall (31-9) rallied to get within a run after three innings, chasing Norman for Nate Roberts.

But Washington again had an offensive answer.

The Warriors took a 10-5 lead in the fifth when nine-hole Mayson Thomas ripped a two-run single and later scored on a single by Marlon Moore, a Tulane commitment.

More: Meet Ethan Holliday, Stillwater's next top baseball prospect who’s ‘staying in the moment’

That only allowed the drama to build.

Cascia Hall’s Chris Kutmas and Hunter Stockton both singled with one out in the sixth. After a fielder’s choice turned into an error and allowed a run, Roberts plunked Hank Witte with a pitch to load the bases.

Kulbeth then knew what he had to do, even if it was a tad unorthodox.

Bates had thrown just nine innings all season. He had only thrown bullpens in practice the last three weeks.

Kulbeth still never hesitated to put his star on the mound.

Bates said he just worked to stay calm and breathe. He understood that no moment is too big.

“Last season I’m probably ever going to pitch,” he said.

Bates struck out Cooper Lai and got Owen Pazzo to fly out to right to end the threat.

A star shortstop had rewarded his coach’s faith.

Not long after, the Warriors’ celebration began once again.

“Just the word trust,” Kulbeth said. “You just look in their eyes, you know what’s in their hearts and you turn them loose.”

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma Class 3A baseball: Cam Bates lifts Washington to championship