Kendrick leads offensive charge in Stillwater baseball's 2-0 regional start

Apr. 30—Senior Talon Kendrick was nearly flawless at the plate, and the rest of the Pioneer offense wasn't too far behind.

Stillwater clinched a regional host bid last week, and on Monday it was announced that it would welcome Bixby, Jenks and Ponca City as regional opponents. The turnaround from announcement to actual play Tuesday morning was rapid.

Between Game 1 against Ponca City and Game 2 against Bixby, Stillwater scored a combined 33 runs — outslugging both the Wildcats and Spartans to emerge out of Day 1 with a perfect 2-0 record. It beat Ponca City 18-11 and Bixby 15-3.

One more win would clinch a spot in the OSSAA 6A State Tournament for the second straight year.

The Pioneers found themselves down 4-0 in the first inning against Ponca City in Game 1.

That didn't last long.

In the bottom of the second, 15 batters came to the plate in an 11-run Stillwater inning. Kendrick doubled home the first two runs and later in the inning cleared the bases with a three-RBI double.

Kendrick then singled home a run in the fifth inning to increase the lead to six, and an inning later he blasted a two-run home run over the left field fence. He finished the first game a perfect 4-4 while driving in eight of the team's 18 runs on three legs of the cycle.

"The mentality was just to be confident, trust my training," Kendrick said. "Stay behind the ball and hit the pitches they gave me. It was a great day."

A collective pitching effort from Isaiah Smith, Bryson Mitchell and Dayton Aaron kept the Wildcats from keeping pace with the offense. Despite trailing early, the confidence never waivered.

"We've got a resilient bunch," Stillwater head coach Marty Lees said. "They're tough. There's not one kid in this dugout that hasn't given something to this team."

The win secured a matchup with Bixby in Game 2, and it started similarly to Game 1 — with an early deficit.

But the bats stayed hot for the Pioneer offense. It was the discipline at the plate that played the biggest factor in what ended up as a 15-0 Stillwater scoring run through the top of the sixth inning.

Bixby's Cooper Leggett looked strong in the first inning, but in the second he walked four batters and hit two others. Stillwater took advantage of the free baserunners with a five-run inning.

Across both games on Tuesday, Kendrick was an impressive 5-6 with a home run, two doubles, two singles, nine RBI and two walks.

Kendrick committed to Oklahoma State as a preferred walk-on in football in November, which means his baseball career will come to an end after this postseason is over.

"Talon's a grinder," Lees said. "He's a tough kid. There's a reason he's playing a Division I sport. Kid's a winner. He's showing it right now when we really need him."

The punctuation mark on the Stillwater victory came in the top of the sixth inning. Catcher Parker Jeffery stepped up with a 10-1 lead and the bases loaded. He connected on a pitch and lined one into the right-center field gap.

Usually, that would score two runs, maybe three.

Bixby's outfield thought the game was over for mercy rule, so they began jogging to the dugout — away from the baseball sitting at the base of the wall. Jeffery took advantage and completed an inside-the-park Grand Slam.

"I've never seen that," Lees said.

The very next pitch, Ethan Holliday demolished a ball over the right field wall.

The Pioneer offense is the best it has been all year.

"Today we just hit," Lees said. "I was standing out there, those guys played. We just sat back and watched them. That part's really fun."

Stillwater starting pitcher Blake Aziere surrendered two runs in the bottom of the sixth, but he was able to finish off the six-inning complete game. He went 6.0 innings, allowing seven hits and three earned runs with five strikeouts.

"(Blake) just attacked," Lees said. "Breaking ball was on today for the most part. That allowed some ambiguity with swings. He threw in and out. He pitched like a college pitcher"

After going 2-0 on Thursday, Stillwater awaits the winner of tomorrow morning's Bixby/Jenks or Ponca City game. Whoever the opponent is, they'll have to be the Pioneers twice to advance. Lees anticipates a rematch with Bixby.

"That team's way better than what they played," Lees said. "I believe we're gonna be playing them again."

Stillwater's game on Wednesday is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., and with a win the Pioneers would advance to state. With a loss they would play again on Thursday in a winner-take-all regional final.

"Everybody's fighting. If you lose you're out. Whoever we play tomorrow is going to give everything they've got."