- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 440,227
- Reaction score
- 44
With a six-run cushion in hand and momentum on its side, Claremore looked poised to keep its red-hot streak alive.
That is until the top of the seventh inning turned the tide in dramatic fashion.
The Zebras surrendered a five-run seventh and four-run 11th as visiting Pryor stormed back from a 6-0 deficit to claim an 11-7 victory Tuesday night at Legendary Legion Field at Murray-Pixley Park in District 5A-4 play, snapping Clarrmore's 10-game winning streak in heartbreaking fashion.
Despite the loss, the Zebras (19-4, 7-1 district) remain atop the district standings thanks to a 48-30 edge over the Tigers in district points.
"They kept battling back, and we gave them too freebies," Claremore coach Jonathan Gelnar said. "We just didn't score enough runs. We let them hang around, and then we started walking people. They got a couple of bunts down — they were great bunts — and that's baseball. It's unfortunate, and it sucks."
The turning point came when Claremore starter Kellen Gaede handed the ball off to Marcos Sallee in the top of the seventh.
Pryor (14-7, 7-1) capitalized immediately, stringing together a walk, two hits and a costly error to erase a 7-2 deficit and knot the score. A two-run double by Brock Ward capped the five-run frame, setting the stage for extra innings.
The Zebras exploded for six runs in the bottom of the fourth to build what appeared to be a commanding lead.
Tyson Grimett got things started with an RBI single before Saxton Pickup’s sacrifice bunt, Curtis Waters’ RBI double, Connor Rowe’s two-run single and a run-scoring single from Sallee made it 6-0.
"They gave us a couple of freebies, we found some barrels and then they brought in the Bailey kid (Jaron Bailey), and he did a really good job tonight," Gelnar said. "He shut us down for five or six innings.
Grimett and Pickup later teamed up again in the fifth to add a seventh run.
Gaede was strong in his six-inning start, allowing just two unearned runs on four hits while striking out three.
Grimett, who eventually took the loss, held Pryor in check through extras until the 11th, when the Tigers broke through for four runs on three hits, including a two-run double by Clinton Stohler and an RBI single from Ward.
"Kellen was great — he pitched his butt off tonight," Gelnar said. "He deserved to win. He just got extended on his pitch count, and we had to go with somebody else. That's the spot when Tyson usually comes in, and he's done a great job with that every year he's been here."
Offensively, Claremore finished with nine hits and seven walks. Rowe led the way with a 2-for-5 night and two RBIs from the bottom of the order.
Sallee also had two hits and an RBI, while Grimett reached base four times with three walks and a single.
Pryor was led by Gavin Roberts, who went 3-for-6, and Ward, who drove in three and drew three walks. Jaron Bailey earned the win with 7.1 dominant innings of relief, giving up just four hits and one run while striking out 10.
Claremore will look to bounce back Thursday at 6:30 p.m. when it hosts Chickasha in the Tiger/Zebra Festival.
"The biggest thing is understanding what we did wrong," Gelnar said. "We made a couple of errors, we left a couple of runners on, we made some defensive mishaps and they were able to tie up the game."
Continue reading...
That is until the top of the seventh inning turned the tide in dramatic fashion.
The Zebras surrendered a five-run seventh and four-run 11th as visiting Pryor stormed back from a 6-0 deficit to claim an 11-7 victory Tuesday night at Legendary Legion Field at Murray-Pixley Park in District 5A-4 play, snapping Clarrmore's 10-game winning streak in heartbreaking fashion.
Despite the loss, the Zebras (19-4, 7-1 district) remain atop the district standings thanks to a 48-30 edge over the Tigers in district points.
"They kept battling back, and we gave them too freebies," Claremore coach Jonathan Gelnar said. "We just didn't score enough runs. We let them hang around, and then we started walking people. They got a couple of bunts down — they were great bunts — and that's baseball. It's unfortunate, and it sucks."
The turning point came when Claremore starter Kellen Gaede handed the ball off to Marcos Sallee in the top of the seventh.
Pryor (14-7, 7-1) capitalized immediately, stringing together a walk, two hits and a costly error to erase a 7-2 deficit and knot the score. A two-run double by Brock Ward capped the five-run frame, setting the stage for extra innings.
The Zebras exploded for six runs in the bottom of the fourth to build what appeared to be a commanding lead.
Tyson Grimett got things started with an RBI single before Saxton Pickup’s sacrifice bunt, Curtis Waters’ RBI double, Connor Rowe’s two-run single and a run-scoring single from Sallee made it 6-0.
"They gave us a couple of freebies, we found some barrels and then they brought in the Bailey kid (Jaron Bailey), and he did a really good job tonight," Gelnar said. "He shut us down for five or six innings.
Grimett and Pickup later teamed up again in the fifth to add a seventh run.
Gaede was strong in his six-inning start, allowing just two unearned runs on four hits while striking out three.
Grimett, who eventually took the loss, held Pryor in check through extras until the 11th, when the Tigers broke through for four runs on three hits, including a two-run double by Clinton Stohler and an RBI single from Ward.
"Kellen was great — he pitched his butt off tonight," Gelnar said. "He deserved to win. He just got extended on his pitch count, and we had to go with somebody else. That's the spot when Tyson usually comes in, and he's done a great job with that every year he's been here."
Offensively, Claremore finished with nine hits and seven walks. Rowe led the way with a 2-for-5 night and two RBIs from the bottom of the order.
Sallee also had two hits and an RBI, while Grimett reached base four times with three walks and a single.
Pryor was led by Gavin Roberts, who went 3-for-6, and Ward, who drove in three and drew three walks. Jaron Bailey earned the win with 7.1 dominant innings of relief, giving up just four hits and one run while striking out 10.
Claremore will look to bounce back Thursday at 6:30 p.m. when it hosts Chickasha in the Tiger/Zebra Festival.
"The biggest thing is understanding what we did wrong," Gelnar said. "We made a couple of errors, we left a couple of runners on, we made some defensive mishaps and they were able to tie up the game."
Continue reading...
