Fletcher Gold coasts into 10U State semifinals

SALLISAW — Fletcher Gold 10U stormed to a 12-0 victory over Vian Wolverines on Thursday night to race to the title of the Red Bracket at the OK Kids 10U State Tournament.

The Wildcats scored in all four innings of the run-rule shortened game, hanging two runs on the scoreboard in the first, three in the second and third and four more in the fourth to end the game early.

Zeke Herrin, Silas Weishaupt, Kinsler Thornton and Clayton Jenkins each ripped a pair of hits and Herrin and Weishaupt drove in two runs apiece as the Wildcats were in command all the way.

Kyler McCracken got the pitching win for the Wildcats, working 3⅓ innings allowing just two hits and fanning seven. He walked just one. Herrin came on to seal the game by pitching ⅔ innings of perfect ball, not allowing a hit or a walk and fanning one.

“Kyler went out there and threw strikes and that’s what we needed,” Coach Hayden Herrin said. “We have tomorrow off and like I told the guys, we know what we need to do Saturday and that’s go out there and fill the strike zone and have good at-bats at the plate. We’ve been to this point before so it won’t be anything we haven’t faced before.”

Coach Herrin and the Wildcats will wait to see which team will finish as the runner-up in the Blue Bracket and that will set up the semifinals at 11 a.m. Saturday. The Blue Bracket champ is Hobart Hitmen which edged Chickasha, 6-4, Thursday night. Chickasha will drop to the losers bracket where it will battle Blanchard Recruits and Weatherford Eagles to see which of the three will survive to face Fletcher Gold in the semifinals Saturday. Blanchard beat the Oklahoma A’s, 5-3, while Weatherford ended the season for Fletcher White, 17-5.

Kingfisher Jackets earned a 12-2 victory over Laverne and Washington Warriors beat Sallisaw M-Pact, 6-2, Thursday in Blue Bracket loser’s bracket action and those two will meet Friday at 6 p.m. and then the winner will face Vian for the right to battle Hobart in the other semifinal contest.

The winners of the semifinals will turn around and play for the 10U State title at 1 p.m. Saturday. Fletcher Gold 10U reached that game last season but came up short and now the Wildcats will take a 29-1 record into Saturday’s semifinals will a goal of completing their “mission” and win the title.