Ike, Cache, Altus advance as Bowman pool leaders

Eisenhower got strong pitching performances from Jaydin Moore and AJ Elkouri to sweep games in pool play Thursday to move ahead in bracket play as the 48th Annual Bo Bowman Tournament opened under gusty winds at the three city baseball fields.

Moore worked all four innings in a 12-2 victory over Big Pasture and Elkouri got the mound win for the Eagles in a 9-6 win over Apache that was halted after four innings by the 2-hour time limit.

The Eagles will move from their own park to Lawton High today for an 8 p.m. bracket play game against the arch rival Wolverines.

Ike was the lone city team to win its pool as LHS was third at the Wolverines’ Field and MacArthur finished second behind Cache at the Highlanders’ Field.

Thursday’s schedule, which will feature all games at Lawton High, starts at 10 a.m. with Big Pasture meeting Fletcher in a matchup of small-school programs.

After that Cache will face Apache at 12:30 p.m., followed by Shawnee and Mac hitting the field at 3 p.m., and Altus meeting the BP-Fletcher winner at 5:30 p.m.

Ike coach Eric Shows was happy with how his club responded in getting the first win over BP.

“Colton Anderson had a couple of hits and just about everyone else got at least one hit in that first game,” he said. “And Eric Rodriguez had a big two-out hit that got us going and drove in a couple of runs.”

The Ike-Apache game was one of the best of the day as the Eagles struck for a single run in the bottom of the first after Charlie Trachte earned a walk, stole second and raced home on a single by Ross Booker.

That 1-0 lead until the top of the third when the Warriors, who came into the Bowman with a 13-1 record, scored four in the third to take the lead. Houston Herrin started the rally when he was hit by a pitch and he moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Dayton Scott. Stetson Nix followed with a single to right to get Herrin home to tie the game.

Reese Sylvester beat out an infield hit to extend the rally and Dom Scott singled in the hole between short and third to get two more runs across. Scott then proceeded to steal second, he took third on a wild pitch and then got a great jump off third and stole home to push the Apache lead to 4-1 before Elkouri got a pair of strikeouts to end the inning.

The Warriors’ lead didn’t last long as Booker reached on an Apache throwing error and after Apache pitcher Jacob Jurek got a strikeout, he issued walks to Ike’s Colton Anderson and Rodriguez to load the bases. Dylan McEunn got a run home on a single then two runs scored on an Apache throwing error.

Trachte followed with a two-out smash down the line in left that drove in a run and Booker got another run home with a single before Apache threw out Moore at home as he tried to score on a wild pitch.

That rally pushed Ike’s lead to 7-4 and after Elkouri shut down the Warriors without a run in the top of the fourth, Ike added two more for a 9-4 lead with the clock almost at the time limit.

But before that time was reached, Apache added two more runs on a ground-rule double by Dakota Roberts that drove in one run and a hit-by-pitch that got a second run across before Malachi Large came on to get a ground out to end the game with the 9-6 victory.

Cache was able to claim the pool title at MacArthur after beating Fletcher, 10-2, and then decking the Highlanders, 15-6. Head Coach Danny Lee said his club was somewhat down entering the tournament but broke out the bats and had a pair of strong efforts Thursday.

“We have had a couple of rough weeks going against some great pitching,” Lee said. “We had Duncan, Tuttle and Chickasha over the last three weeks and all three of them have some really good arms. We struggled a little early today but we finally started having good swings and we just had things fall in place.

“I told our guys that facing those tough pitchers would help us as we move forward and that was the case today. The guys just relaxed and started swinging the bats really well.”

Lee said that Kyree Coleman had multiple hits in both games and Colton Hill had a three-run double in the win over Mac. Carter McKeown added a two-run homer to aid the cause against Mac in the deciding game in that pool.

Like all teams in the upper classes that are playing district games each Monday and Tuesday, Lee has to keep that in mind during the Bowman.

“Leland (Kowena) gave up a 3 or 4 runs against Mac but he did a good job pitching against them,” Lee said. “I used him today and now he will have his full rest and be ready for Monday’s district game against Purcell. Dunn Gillispie pitched the first game and we had a big inning and that allowed me to bring Cale Huntley in to save some pitches there.

“I’m going to come back with Canden Hance Friday and then he will have his rest and be ready for Tuesday’s district game. If we get past that one (Apache) I’m going to be giving those younger kids a chance.”