Jackets, Chargers set for big series

The stage is set.

Kingfisher’s shot at hosting a 4A baseball regional essentially comes down to two games this week.

The Jackets and Heritage Hall will play Monday and Tuesday (weather permitting) to decide the District 4A-1 champion.

Each of the eight district champs in 4A are the host sites for regional tournaments.

KHS did its part to be in this position last Monday and Tuesday with a hard-fought sweep over Mount St. Mary.

The Jackets erased a 4-0 deficit on Monday, then held off a late Rocket rally for a 9-6 home win.

They returned the trip Tuesday and won a 2-0 pitcher’s duel to move to 10-0 in the district.

Heritage Hall may - or may not - be undefeated when it visits Homier Field.

The Chargers and Harrah are still in the midst of a game they started on Tuesday.

The game was tied 2-2 with Heritage Hall batting in the bottom of the ninth inning when it was suspended due to weather.

The teams will resume the game - with one out - at noon Saturday (after press time).

Their first matchup on Monday also went extra innings before Heritage Hall won 4-3.

If Heritage Hall wins, it will be 8-0 in the district. It also had district games with Seminole rained out at the end of the week.

If the Chargers lose to Harrah, KHS would need to just win one of the two games to lock up the district title.

If the Jackets and Heritage Hall are both unbeaten and split games this week, the team with the biggest run differential will be the district champ.

Mount St. Mary was able to touch up Kingfisher starter Brady Friesen in the top of the third inning of the teams’ first game of the week.

The Rockets collected five hits and also used a KHS error to plate four runs for the early lead. Friesen started the comeback with a leadoff double in the bottom half of the frame.

He later scored on a passed ball and the Jackets made it 4-2 when Tate Taylor, who had singled, scored on a double steal.

Friesen again struck in the fourth.

With Caleb Dick and Mason Snider in scoring position, the Jackets executed a perfect squeeze when Friesen laid down his bunt.

Dick scored before the ball was fielded and Snider scored on the throw to first to get Friesen out and the game was tied, 4-4.

Ian Daugherty walked in the bottom of the fifth and stole second, then gave the Jackets their first lead of the game on T.J. Parker’s RBI single.

After the Rockets tied the game in the sixth, the Jacket offense got going again in the bottom half.

Tate Taylor drove home Snider with an RBI single and Friesen followed it up with a run on a wild pitch.

Parker delivered big again with a two-run single to push KHS on top 9-5.

The Rockets were able to score a run and load the bases against Parker in the seventh, but the senior got out of the jam.

Parker threw the final 1 2/3 innings.

Friesen pitched 5 1/3 and struck out six while giving up 10 hits. Four of the five runs he surrendered were earned.

Friesen on offense had two RBIs and scored twice.

Parker was 2 for 4 with three RBIs.

Taylor and Mason Snider also scored two times each.

After combining for 20 hits on Monday, the teams collected just six of them on Tuesday.

Daugherty shut down the Rockets’ bats with a two-hit shutout.

He needed only 78 pitches to do it.

Daugherty struck out seven Rockets without walking any.

He provided all the offense he’d need with an RBI double in the first to score Taylor.

Tate Barton followed up with an RBI sacrifice fly to score Cade Stephenson.

That was all the scoring for the entire game.

The Jackets only got one runner as far as second base the rest of the night.

But Daugherty made it stick.

He took a no-hitter into the fifth before surrendering a leadoff single.

The senior got two strikeouts to end that frame.

The Rockets also got a two-out single in the sixth, but Daugherty coaxed a pop-out from the next batter and retired his foes in order in the seventh.

The Jackets were 16-5 overall after the series.

Games with Edmond Memorial on Thursday and Piedmont on Friday were rained out.