State just a stone’s throw away for KHS
KHS SENIOR Brady Friesen was dominant Thursday in his team’s 3-0 win over Clinton to open a Class 4A regional in Blanchard. Friesen gave up just two hits and struck out nine batters over seven innings. [Photo by Chris Simon/www.simon-sports-photos.smugm
KINGFISHER held off Blanchard 9-8 on Thursday to advance to a Class 4A regional final. Tate Taylor threw the final two innings and was able to work out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the seventh. [Photo by Chris Simon/www.simon-sports-photos.smugm
A stellar pitching performance and then another gutsy save has the Kingfisher baseball team one win away from the state tournament.
Tate Taylor coaxed a fly-out to center field out of Kale Miller early Thursday evening to help the Yellowjackets preserve a 9-8 victory over Blanchard in their 4A regional winners’ bracket game.
The victory - paired with a 3-0 win over Clinton earlier Thursday - put Kingfisher into the championship on Friday (after press time).
The Jackets need just one win in two games to advance to the Class 4A state tournament.
The final out against Blanchard came with the tying and winning runs on base.
The Lions trailed 9-6 entering the final frame, but took advantage of two KHS errors, a walk and a single to score a run and load the bases with just one out.
Taylor got Aiden Kilgore to fly out, but a run was able to score on the sacrifice, pulling the Lions within 9-8.
The senior then got out of the jam against Miller to earn the two-inning save.
The final out ended a back-and-forth affair that saw KHS lead 2-0, fall behind 5-2 and 6-4 before scoring five unanswered runs in the fifth and sixth innings.
After getting the early lead, the Jackets surrendered five runs in the second inning, four of them with two outs.
Will Taylor kick-started the comeback in the fourth with a two-run home run to centerfield.
T.J. Parker’s single in the fifth scored Cade Stephenson to tie the game at 6-6 and then Brayden States gave the Jackets the lead when he scored as Will Taylor reached on an error.
Ian Daugherty walked with the bases loaded and Parker added an RBI sacrifice fly in the sixth to give the Jackets a 9-6 advantage.
Parker, Tate Barton and Will Taylor had 2 RBIs each in the game.
Daugherty picked up the win with five innings of work.
He gave up five hits and six earned runs as he walked seven while striking out seven.
It was his bat and Brady Friesen’s arm that sparked the win over Clinton.
Daugherty blasted a first-inning home run off Zade Cisneros to give Friesen all the support he needed.
Friesen needed just 88 pitches over seven innings to earn the shutout win.
The left-hander allowed only two hits, struck out nine batters and walked two.
He got an insurance run in the sixth when Mason Snider’s sacrifice fly pushed Barton across home plate.
Clinton was eliminated in the regional after its 9-0 loss to Chickasha.
Blanchard and Chickasha played an elimination game Friday (after press time) with the winner playing the Jackets at 4:30 p.m.
If KHS won that game, it moved to state for the second consecutive season. If it lost, the decisive game was played Saturday.