Black Diamonds mark Senior Night with win over Hilldale after sweeping district foe Fort Gibson
The Sallisaw Black Diamonds baseball team will be entering today’s Class 4A Regional Tournament on a very high note.
The Black Diamonds ended the regular season Monday evening as they celebrated Senior Night for both the baseball and slowpitch softball seniors with an 11-7 win over the Hilldale Hornets.
The Black Diamonds snapped their two-game district losing streak, thanks to the Inola Longhorns, by sweeping district foe Fort Gibson, winning 2-1 at home Thursday evening, then winning 6-4 in eight innings over the Tigers on Friday evening in Fort Gibson.
In the Senior Night win, the Black Diamonds broke a 6-all tie in the fifth inning as Brock Streun’s two-run home run, Parker Pratt’s RBI infield single, Luke Pack’s sacrifice fly and Coleman Wasson’s two-out RBI single put the Black Diamonds ahead 11-6 after six innings.
For the game, Pratt was 2-for-3 with two runs batted in and a run scored, Streun his his third homer of the season, Pack had two RBIs on two sacrifice flies, Wasson had an RBI single in his only at-bat and Cole Stephens had a suicide-squeeze bunt for Sallisaw’s first run of the game in the second inning.
Kase Adams (2-0) got the win in relief, going 1.2 innings with four strikeouts. Pack started and went the first 2.1 innings, then Braxton Lamb went the next 1.2 innings. Wasson got the first out of the fifth inning before Adams toed the rubber. Brodie Cameron pitched a scoreless seventh inning.
In defeat, Hilldale senior and Arkansas commit Cole Leach hit two homers, a three-run shot in the third inning to put the Hornets ahead 3-1 and a two-run shot in the fifth inning to help spur on a three-run rally that tied the game at 6-all, setting up Sallisaw’s game-winning fifth-inning rally.
In Thursday afternoon’s win over Fort Gibson, the Black Diamonds (19-9 overall 10-2 in district play) broke a 1-all tie with a two-out RBI groundout by Cole Mayfield, scoring pinch-runner Brodi Nickell from third base, for a 2-1 lead.
Dagan Grizzle got his sixth save of the season, with some aid from first baseman Braxton Lamb, to help Easton Wolfe (5-1) get the win.
With one out in the seventh inning and runners at first and second, Fort Gibson batter Wyatt Pierce hit a little looper towards first base that Lamb caught. He then raced back and dove glove first to first base to double up Fort Gibson baserunner Chase Meisner to end the game.
The Black Diamonds took the lead in the first inning on a one-out double by Creed Nelson, scoring Pack, for a 1-0 lead. The Tigers tied the game at 1-all in the second inning on a suicide-squeeze bunt by Kyle Garrett, scoring Ethan Reese.
For the game, Pratt was 2-for-2 with a double and a stolen base, while Nelson hit an RBI double for Sallisaw.
In his six innings of work, Wolfe allowed a run on three hits with a strikeout. Grizzle pitched a scoreless seventh inning, allowing a hit.
In Friday’s road district win over the Tigers, the Black Diamonds broke a 4-all tie with two runs scoring in the eighth inning. One of the runs scored on a balk that scored Streun, while the other scored on an error that allowed Stephens to score.
For the game, Stephens was 2-for-2 with two runs batted in and a run scored, while Lamb doubled and scored once for Sallisaw.
Cameron (1-0) got his first win of the season in relief, going the final three innings with four strikeouts. Gracin Marshall went the first five innings with two strikeouts.
