Black Diamonds split final 2 games in GCC
GULF SHORES, Ala. — The Sallisaw Black Diamonds baseball team split its final two games in the 2024 Gulf Coast Classic on Wednesday, beating the Winfield (Ala.) Pirates 8-7 but losing to the Fort Smith (Ark.) Southside Mavericks 8-3.
Wolfe
In the win over Winfield, the Black Diamonds (5-4) fell behind 1-0 after an inning, but they scored twice in the second inning on a one-out, two-RBI single by Parker Pratt for a 2-1 lead after two innings. Braxton Lamb’s RBI groundout in the third inning upped Sallisaw’s advantage to 3-1 after three innings.
Sallisaw scored four runs in the fourth inning as a passed ball, a two-run single by Creed Nelson and an RBI groundout by Brock Streun put the Black Diamonds ahead 7-1.
After the Pirates cut the deficit to 7-5 after five innings, Luke Pack scored on a passed ball in the sixth inning to put Sallisaw up 8-5 after six innings.
The Pirates tried to rally in the seventh inning, scoring twice to cut their deficit to 8-7. However, Sallisaw relief pitcher Dagan Grizzle got the next batter to ground out to end the Pirates’ rally and the game.
For the contest, Pack was 2-for-5 with a run scored, Nelson was 2-for-4 with two runs batted in and a run scored and Cole Mayfield was 2-for-3 for Sallisaw.
Lamb (1-1) got his first win of the season, going the first three innings with a strikeout. Kase Adams pitched the fourth inning, then Pack pitched the next two-plus innings. Grizzle got his third save as he got the final three outs, one of which came by strikeout.
In the loss to Southside, the Mavericks scored twice in the first inning and four runs in the second inning for a 6-0 lead after two innings.
The Black Diamonds scored once in the third inning on an error to cut their deficit to 6-1, but Southside scored twice in the fifth inning to make it 8-1 after five innings. The Black Diamonds scored twice in the sixth inning on a bases-loaded walk to Pratt scoring Easton Wolfe, while the other run came on a “painful” RBI as Pack was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to force home Cole Stephens with the second run to cut Southside’s lead to 8-3 after six innings, but the Black Diamonds got no closer.
In defeat, Wolfe was 3-for-4 with a run scored for Sallisaw.
Streun (1-1) suffered his first loss of the season, going the first three innings with six strikeouts and allowing six runs, but only three of them were earned due to two of Sallisaw’s three errors committed in the game. Gracin Marshall went the next two innings with three Ks and gave up two runs, but only one of them was earned due to the third Sallisaw error of the contest. Brodi Nickell pitched a scoreless sixth inning.
The Black Diamonds will return home for a game against Sequoyah-Claremore at 5 p.m. Monday before playing in the Pryor Tigers/Claremore Zebras Classic, which will begin on Wednesday and end on March 30.
