Dale tops Silo in Class A for 11th Oklahoma high school fall baseball state title
Dale didn’t have the best start to its Class A fall baseball state title game against Silo.
After giving up a run in the opening inning and not producing much on offense, it wasn’t looking great for Dale.
But everything changed in the second frame.
The Pirates’ offense exploded, scoring eight runs, and they stayed in the driver’s seat from there as they rolled to an 18-11 victory at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark on Saturday.
Dale’s win was a bit of a surprise.
“We’re not the most talented team,” Dale coach Eddie Jeffcoat said. “Silo is probably more talented than us. We were ranked eighth coming into the state tournament. They were No. 1. But these guys just scrapped and clawed and just found a way to get things done.”
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Junior Dayton Forsythe, one of the top basketball players in the state, got the start on the mound for Dale. He went 3 for 3 at the plate and drove in two runs but was ejected in the top of the third inning after running over Silo catcher Josh Trout on a play at the plate.
Junior Casen Richardson filled in after that and pitched the remainder of the game for the Pirates.
Silo had 10 hits and scored 10 runs against Richardson, but Dale’s offense was phenomenal and finished with 14 hits as Silo had five players pitch — Delton Roberts, Easton Ford, Charlie Gardner, Gabe Hernandez, Colby Smith and Britton Salsbury.
Leading the way for the Pirates offensively were sophomore Easton Edmonson, junior Ethan Douglas and Richardson.
Edmonson had two doubles and a single, while Douglas had one double and a single. Richardson had a double, single and sacrifice fly.
Silo, which won the 2021 fall title and the 2021 and 2022 spring championships, was the favorite heading into Saturday. The Rebels’ (30-2) only loss before the title game was to Class B powerhouse Roff, and they beat Dale the two times the teams faced off before the state tournament.
But Dale got hot at the right time. The Pirates won nine of their last 10 games and finished with a 24-10 record. They now have 11 fall baseball state championships.
“We just knew we had something to prove,” Douglas said. “We just stuck with it. We hit every night. We got in the cages whenever we could, and we just did everything we could. We knew it was going to be a tough game. We came in here knowing all the pressure was on Silo. We were coming in as the eighth seed. Some people didn’t even think we were going to make the state tournament.”
Fort Cobb-Broxton starts strong, holds on to top Roff
Fort Cobb-Broxton’s offense didn’t waste any time as it tried to get the upper hand against Roff on Saturday.
A solid start is crucial when going against a team like Roff, the two-time defending fall baseball state champion, and Fort Cobb-Broxton made sure it was ready to play.
It didn’t take long until Roff realized it was in big trouble.
Fueled by a five-run first inning, Fort Cobb-Broxton won its first fall baseball title since 2004 with a 7-4 victory against Roff in the Class B state championship at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark.
Fort Cobb-Broxton (30-4) never trailed, and starting pitcher Blaine Davis stayed on the mound the entire game.
He allowed just seven hits, while Roff starter Tallen Bagwell was pulled off the mound in the first inning.
Dylan Reed pitched the rest of the game for Roff (32-1) and did a great job, but the rough start was too much for the Tigers to overcome.
“We wanted to get off to a good start,” Fort Cobb-Broxton coach Dale Bellamy said. “A five-run first inning is a good start. We started pretty hot, so that just kind of carried on.”
Davis struggled early and allowed three runs in the first frame but settled in after that.
“He’s thrown big games for us,” Bellamy said. “He’s not the best velocity guy. He’s 75, 78 (mph), but he pitches his butt off and he throws three pitches and he kind of kept them off balance today.”
Among Fort Cobb-Broxton’s leaders on offense was freshman second baseman Eli Willits. He went 2 for 2 and drew two walks.
A son of former OU star and Yankees outfielder Reggie Willits, Eli hit an RBI triple with two outs in the sixth that gave Fort Cobb-Broxton a 6-4 lead and scored twice.
“It was a great atmosphere,” he said. “Helped me prepare for the future of my life. I’m just happy to be in this situation with my team.”
Eli’s older brother, senior shortstop and OU commit Jaxon Willits, went for 1 for 2, had one walk, was hit by a pitch and scored a run.
Reporter Nick Sardis covers high school sports across the Oklahoma City metro and state. Have a story idea for Nick? He can be reached at nsardis@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @nick_sardis. Support Nick’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at oklahoman.com/subscribe or by using the link at the top of this page.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma HS baseball: Dale beats Silo for Class A state championship
