Black Diamonds split first 2 games at Gulf Coast Classic
GULF SHORES, Ala. — The Sallisaw Black Diamonds baseball team split its first two games in the 2024 Gulf Coast Classic.
The Black Diamonds opened the tournament with a 5-3 win over another Oklahoma team, the Muskogee Roughers, on Monday, but they fell 8-5 to the East Robertson (Tenn.) Indians 8-5 on Tuesday.
In Monday’s win, the Black Diamonds rallied from a 1-0 first-inning deficit with single runs in the second and third innings for a 2-1 lead, then made it 4-1 on an RBI single by Kase Adams and a steal of home by Parker Pratt in the fourth inning.
After the Roughers cut their deficit to 4-3 in the fifth inning, Dagan Drizzle’s RBI double in the sixth inning gave Sallisaw a 5-3 lead.
For the game, Cole Stephens was 2-for-3 with a double and two runs scored, Drizzle hit an RBI double and Creed Nelson doubled for Sallisaw.
Nelson (2-1) got the win, going the first 4.2 innings with six strikeouts. Grizzle got his second save of the season, going the final 2.1 innings with a strikeout.
In Tuesday’s loss, the Black Diamonds (4-3), who saw their four-game winning streak snapped, broke a 2-all tie as RBI singles by Nelson and Braxton Lamb and a grounder by Cole Mayfield put Sallisaw ahead 5-2. However, the Indians scored twice in the fifth inning and four runs in the sixth inning to get the lead for good.
In defeat, Brock Streun was 3-for-3 with a double and a run batted in, Nelson was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored, Lamb was 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Easton Wolfe (1-1) suffered his first loss of the season in relief, going the final two innings with four strikeouts but allowing the final six runs for the Indians, but five of those were unearned due to three Sallisaw errors. Coleman Wasson started and went the first four innings with two strikeouts.
The Black Diamonds will have two games today, vs. Winfield, Ala., at 11:30 this morning and vs. Fort Smith (Ark.) Southside at 2 this afternoon.
Depending upon how they end up after today’s action, the Black Diamonds may be a part of the tournament semifinals and title game on Thursday.
