Holding pitches Marlow to 4A State title

OKLAHOMA CITY—Mason Holding, one of just two seniors on Marlow’s baseball team, pitched a complete game, allowing just two hits and coming up with a huge strikeout in the seventh inning to lead the Outlaws to a 3-2 victory over Blanchard Saturday to claim the 4A State baseball championship.

The Outlaws wound up with a 29-7 record while Blanchard finished at 29-8.

The title is the 51st in the history of Marlow athletics but ironically it is the first in baseball. Veteran coach John Morgan who has been a fixture in area baseball circles got the job done with a young lineup that most coaches felt was a year away from contending for the title but somebody didn’t tell the Outlawsm several of who were on the state championship wrestling team that swept the Dual State and Traditional State titles this winter. And a host of the baseball players were on the 4A State semifinalist football team that was edged out by eventual State champion Heritage Hall.

While the Outlaws brought home on championship trophy to Stephens County, Duncan High School was unable to earn the 5A title as powerful Carl Albert claimed its second straight State title with a 13-6 victory just a couple hours after Marlow had gotten the chance to celebrate on the same Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark field.

Marlow sure didn’t play like a young club, getting good defense to go along with Holding’s pitching and offense that did just enough to get the narrow win.

Holding got off to a shaky start, walking the leadoff batter in the bottom of the first, giving up an infield single and hitting a batter to load the bases. Holding finally enticed a ground ball for the first out as the Lions got a run on the play. The next batter flied out to bring home the second run on a sacrifice but Holding got the third out with a clutch strikeout to finally slam the door.

After that the senior righthander was in command, setting the Lions down in order in the second and third as he settled into a good rhythm and challenging the Lions with a variety of good pitches. He gave up a one-out double in the fourth but got the next two outs thanks to good defensive efforts and he got more defensive help in the fifth after hitting the leadoff batter.

The Lions bunted the runner to second and he took third on a wild pitch but second baseman Clint Ladon fielded a ground ball and fired a strike home to catcher Jackson Miller who tagged out the runner trying to score. Holding took care of the final out with a slider that drew a swing from Blanchard’s cleanup batter.

Holding had a perfect sixth inning with a strikeout and two good plays from Ladon as the large crowd of Stephens County fans roared their approval.

The senior pitcher tried to help his club manufacture some insurance in the seventh as he hit a seeing-eye single in the hole between short and third. Marlow’s Kaden Harris was hit by a pitch but the Lions got three quick outs to set the stage for the bottom of the seventh.

Holding didn’t get off to a good start in the final half-inning, walking the leadoff batter and then throwing a wild pickoff attempt that allowed the runner to race all the way to third.

But like seniors do, Holding regrouped and enticed the next Blanchard batter to hit a weak fly ball to shallow center that didn’t allow the Lions to attempt to tag up and try to score. Holding was unable to get the next batter, allowing a walk and a quick steal that put the tying and winning runners into scoring position.

Holding gathered his thoughts and proceeded to strike out the next batter, using his slider to get the final swing to move within an out of the win with Blanchard leadoff batter Bryson Carter getting his chance to decide the outcome. But Holding’s offering was down the middle and Carter made good contact but Marlow centerfielder Jacob Crosson drifted slightly to his right, made the catch and then raced to the infield to join the dogpile celebration.

Marlow wasted little time countering Blanchard’s first-inning offensive production, playing small ball for a run. Jackson Miller earned a leadoff walk and moved to second on a picture-perfect sacrifice bunt by Jaxon Murray. Dawson Baker was hit by a pitch and Holding helped his own cause with a single down the line in right just past first base.

Austin Harris did just enough to get a run home, hitting a deep fly ball to right to bring home Miller but the Outlaws were unable to get any more as Holding was thrown out trying to steal second.

With both pitchers finding their zone, the middle innings flew along quickly until the Outlaws went to work in the top of the sixth and it was Morgan who got the rally going when he was hit by a pitch. Harris caught the Lions napping when he faked the bunt but brought the bat back and slapped a single.

This time it was Crosson providing the fundamentals of the game, putting down a good sacrifice bunt to advance both runners into scoring position. Miller got the first RBI, hitting a deep fly ball to center to get Morgan home with the typing run and moving Harris to third.

Murray, one of the talented freshmen on the team, waited for a good pitch and was able to drop the ball right over the second baseman’s head for an RBI single that proved to be the winning run. Blanchard got the final out with a strikeout but the damage had been done.

Holding wound up with five strikeouts, he walked three and hit two others.