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

The Class 6A-2A baseball state tournament quarterfinals began on Thursday. Here's a quick recap of the action:

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Class 6A: Yukon 3, Stillwater 1

Logan Troxell stuck with the plan.

Yukon had a strategy for facing Stillwater: don’t let power hitters Gage Gundy and Ethan Holliday beat you.

So, when Troxell faced Holliday in the bottom of the seventh inning, Yukon coach Ryan Phillips and his team decided to take a risk. Troxell intentionally walked Holliday to load the bases, knowing he would have to work out of a jam.

The Pioneers could’ve destroyed the Millers’ two-run lead, but they didn’t. Troxell struck out two batters looking to seal a 3-1 win in the Class 6A state quarterfinals Thursday at Tulsa Union High School.

“You can talk about it all you want, but when it comes up, you gotta really stay true to it,” Phillips said of his strategy. “And then it’s also having faith in Logan to keep throwing strikes.”

Stillwater (29-11) and Yukon were tied heading into the seventh inning, but Luke Graham gave the Millers the lead with a 2-RBI home run to left field.

“Luke has been that guy,” Phillips said. “... Jumped all over the first pitch he saw, and he’s got that power in him.”

In the semifinals, Yukon (26-12) will face Enid, the team that stunned Westmoore with a 10-0 six-inning run-rule victory in the quarters as Jake Kennedy threw a no-hitter.

Class 6A: Owasso 3, Deer Creek 1

When the game headed to an extra inning, Owasso continued to rely on Jackson Farrell.

The junior Arkansas commit pitched all eight innings of Owasso’s 3-1 state quarterfinal victory against Deer Creek at Tulsa Union High School. Farrell threw eight strikeouts, walked no one and gave up only one run on six hits.

The Antlers (25-15) took a 1-0 lead in the third inning when Ashton Hartwig crossed home plate on a wild pitch, but Owasso answered in the fourth. In the eighth inning, Owasso plated the go-ahead run on an error and added security with an RBI single.

Defending champion Owasso (27-13) will meet Bixby in the semifinals. The Spartans defeated Edmond North, 6-1, on Thursday night.

Class 5A: Carl Albert 4, Collinsville 2

Carl Albert turned to its ace to lead the way in its Class 5A quarterfinal game against Collinsville.

Oklahoma State commit Kash Ferris is one of the top pitchers in the state, and the Titans are tough to beat when he’s on the mound.

Ferris showed that again Thursday.

The junior tossed a complete game, gave up just six hits and struck out 13 as Carl Albert advanced with a 4-2 victory against Collinsville at Jenks High School. The Titans will play Sapulpa in the semifinals.

“I thought they played really good defense,” Carl Albert coach Ryan Whiteley said. “That’s kind of what we preach to them. When it gets down in the playoff times, you’re going to have to pitch well and play good defense behind it. I thought they did a really good job of that.”

Among Carl Albert’s offensive leaders were Chase Lashley, who had an RBI double, and Jackson Brown, who had an RBI single.

Tanner Norman hit an RBI single that gave Carl Albert (32-8) a 3-1 lead against Collinsville (31-5) before Ryan Ray extended the lead by driving in a run on a ground rule double.

"We took advantage of some opportunities we had in that game with some runners in scoring position, which was big," Whiteley said. "But yeah, I thought they played well. I thought the kids did a really good job of just treating it like a normal game."

Class 5A: Grove 2, Piedmont 0

After four scoreless innings, Grove took the lead.

With a two-RBI double from Caden Gains, Grove upset Piedmont, 2-0, in the Class 5A state quarterfinals at Jenks.

Piedmont pitcher Jakeb Koop kept the Ridgerunners at bay early. He threw nine strikeouts and gave up only three hits, but the two runs were enough for Grove (30-7) to win.

The Wildcats (28-10) finished with four hits.

Class 5A: Tulsa Bishop Kelley 5, Noble 3

Tulsa Bishop Kelley added two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to secure a 5-3 state quarterfinal win against Noble.

Bishop Kelley and Noble were tied at 3 when Grayson Smith provided an RBI double. Then Smith, who went 2 for 3 at the plate, crossed home on a balk.

In his final high school game, Noble star pitcher Colin Fisher threw 10 strikeouts through six innings. The Arkansas signee also hit an RBI double in the first inning, but the Comets had the final say.

Bishop Kelley faces Grove in the semifinals.

Class 4A: Blanchard 9, Pryor 2 (suspended)

In the bottom of the fourth inning, Blanchard and Pryor’s state quarterfinal matchup was suspended Thursday evening at Edmond Memorial because of weather.

With a 9-2 lead, Blanchard had loaded the bases when the game was stopped. Cushing and Lone Grove, scheduled to play after Blanchard and Pryor, did not begin their quarterfinal game.

Pryor vs. Blanchard is set to continue at 11 a.m. Friday at Edmond Memorial. Cushing vs. Lone Grove is scheduled to follow at 1 p.m.

Then Tuttle will face Elk City in a 3:30 semifinal, and the other semifinal game is set for 6 p.m. Friday.

Class 4A: Tuttle 7, Fort Gibson 3

Breck Draper greeted Oklahoma State signee Weston Rouse with compliments after their teams faced off in the state quarterfinals.

The Tuttle baseball coach said he had lost “at least 20 nights of sleep” game-planning for the Fort Gibson senior pitcher over the years.

“He’s a nightmare to prepare for because he’s so good,” Draper said.

The Tigers can leave the nightmares in the past. Although Rouse shut down their offense early, Tuttle launched a sixth-inning rally for a 7-3 victory Thursday afternoon at Edmond Memorial Field. The Tigers (35-4) are headed to the Class 4A state semifinals, where they will meet Elk City, the team that advanced with a 6-1 win against Oologah-Talala.

Fort Gibson (25-9) plated three runs in the fourth inning while Tuttle stayed scoreless through five. Then the turning point arrived.

Easton Green’s Tuttle teammates had set the stage for a big moment when he stepped up to bat in the sixth. Ashton Bennight had reached on a passed ball, Carsen Moore was hit by a pitch and Brady McAdoo hit a bunt single to load the bases.

Green capitalized, smacking a two-RBI double to left field. Then McAdoo scored on Brady Shackelford’s squeeze bunt, executing a small-ball strategy that hadn’t always worked for the Tigers.

“We’ve been the worst bunting team in Oklahoma all year long,” Draper said. “... I didn’t even flinch. I just said, ‘We’re gonna do it,’ and we did it, and they got the job done.”

With the game tied at 3, Alex Conover took his turn at the plate. After allowing Fort Gibson’s three runs as the starting pitcher, he ensured the Tigers would complete their comeback, providing a two-RBI double for a 5-3 lead.

Conover returned to the mound in the bottom of the sixth with some security, and he pitched scoreless sixth and seventh innings to seal the win. The Cowley College signee threw six strikeouts and no walks through seven innings, settling in more after the Tigers claimed the lead.

“You get a little bit more relaxed,” Conover said. “And yeah, it definitely helped out a lot.”

Class 3A: Spiro 4, Oklahoma Christian School 0

Efficiency pretty much sums up Dakota Perdue’s pitching performance against Oklahoma Christian School.

The Spiro senior didn’t necessarily overpower the Saints.

But Perdue was effective.

He pitched the whole game and allowed just three hits as Spiro defeated Oklahoma Christian School 4-0 Thursday at Seminole State College. With the win, Spiro advanced to a semifinal matchup against Tulsa Cascia Hall, which beat Perry 5-3.

Perdue threw 86 pitches and finished with two strikeouts.

Oklahoma Christian School (26-10) got the ball in play, but the Spiro defense was solid.

“My field was amazing today,” Perdue said. “They made the big plays. They made the routine plays. I was just doing my best to keep on giving them the balls.”

Spiro (27-9), which had just three hits and was making its first state tournament appearance since 2014, scored all of its runs in the third inning.

Corbin Miller drove in two, while Gannon Shackelford and Perdue each had one RBI.

“Our big deal is focusing on (ourselves) and what we do,” Spiro coach D.J. Gist said. "Trying to control the controllable. We approach every at-bat like that, every pitch on the bump, everything out in the field. We try to control what we can control. And typically, that will lead you to some success.”

Note: The 3A finals have been rescheduled to 11 a.m. Saturday at Bricktown Ballpark.

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Class 3A: Washington 2, Tulsa Victory Christian 1

Behind a strong performance from Marlon Moore, Washington is a step closer to defending its Class 3A state title.

The Warriors beat Tulsa Victory Christian 2-1 Thursday in the state quarterfinals at Seminole State College, and Moore had a performance to remember.

The junior Tulane commit allowed just six hits and pitched the whole game for Washington, which will play Salina in the semifinals.

Moore also drove in both of Washington’s runs, hitting a solo homer in the third and a double in the fifth that scored Sutton Moore.

“I don’t think we had our best today, and tomorrow we’re going to come out even better,” Marlon Moore said. “Whoever we play is going to get the absolute best of us.”

Gabe Miles had a solid performance for Victory Christian (24-9) on the mound.

He went five innings and allowed two runs, keeping hitters off balance and Victory Christian within striking distance.

“That guy threw a really good baseball game,” Washington coach Jeff Kulbeth said. “I think we can swing it a little bit and he kept us off our toes a little bit today."

Washington star and Tennessee signee Camden Bates was another player who stood out for the Warriors (30-5). He led Washington's defense at shortstop and hit a triple in the first inning.

Class 3A: Salina 3, Heritage Hall 0

The Salina offense had a renewed sense of hope when Julius Ejike-Charles came off the mound.

The Heritage Hall junior and Tulane commit shut down Salina in his six innings on the mound, allowing just one hit and striking out 10.

But Ejike-Charles’ pitch count reached near the limit, and the left-hander was replaced heading into the seventh.

Salina took advantage of that and scored third runs in the frame en route to a 3-0 win Thursday at Seminole State College, advancing to a semifinal matchup against Washington.

“Their lefty was giving us so much fits and then when he reached his pitch count, that gave our kids a little more confidence because he was tough,” Salina coach Matt Simmon said. “He threw a gem. We’ve played a lot of good teams, but that’s the best pitcher we’ve seen all year.”

As good as Ejike-Charles was for Heritage Hall (29-4), Salina starting pitcher Conner Johnson was equally impressive. He allowed just three hits, struck out nine and tossed the whole game.

Maverick Williamson provided the main highlight for Salina (26-12) in the seventh, driving in two on a single. Jack Wilkins drew a walk before that to break the scoreless tie.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma high school baseball: Class 6A-2A state quarterfinal roundup