Am-Po outlasts Cashion in baseball semis

Cooper Frazee gave Cashion the start it needed.

The momentum just didn’t carry over quite enough.

For the second straight year, Cashion’s baseball season ended in the Class 2A state semifinals.

The Wildcats were denied their first trip in the championship game with a 5-3 loss to sixth-ranked Amber-Pocasset late Friday at Seminole State.

The defeat ended Cashion’s season with a 29-8 record.

It was the team’s third consecutive trip to state.

Silo beat out Cashion in the 2021 quarterfinals and in last year’s semis.

The Rebels were awaiting the winner Cashion and Am-Po in this year’s title tilt.

And Frazee did his best to get Cashion off on the right foot as he belted a solo home run to start the game.

But Hayden Brown settled down and kept Cashion’s bats mostly silent until the fifth inning.

In the meantime, the Panthers were able to scratch together all five of their runs in the third inning.

Am-Po collected a bases- loaded walk, a two-run double and a pair of RBI singles to get their runs.

Seventh-ranked Cashion attempted to mount a comeback in the fifth.

Frazee hit safely and scored on Chance Acord’s RBI before Acord himself was able to cross home.

However, Am-Po’s bullpen was able to get out of the inning, then close out the rest of the game.

Cashion had eight hits in the game, two each by Frazee, Acord, Preston Cotter and Kyle Yowell.

Frazee and Hunter Gibson combined to strike out 11 batters, but also walked the Panthers a combined 10 times.

The win for Am-Po avenged a 15-6 loss to Cashion in last year’s state quarterfinals.

Cashion also owned a 2-1 win over the Panthers earlier this season.

Top-ranked Silo defeated Am-Po 6-5 on Saturday to win a spring baseball title for the sixth straight season.

Acord threw a gem to start Cashion’s Friday to land the Wildcats in the semifinals.

He struck out nine and gave up just three hits and one earned run over six innings in a 4-1 victory over No. 2 Oktaha.

The game was originally slated for Thursday at Edmond Santa Fe, but thunderstorms in the Oklahoma City metro area forced the game to be postponed… and moved.

Cashion spotted Acord two runs of support in the third when Frazee and Cotter reached base via walks and eventually scored.

Derek Sheline drove in Frazee with a single and Cotter scored on Brody Nichols’ RBI fielder’s choice.

Frazee and Acord added RBIs in the sixth inning for a pair of insurance runs.

Frazee earned the save with a perfect seventh inning.