Mac routs Altus, claims Bowman title

Boux DeLong pitched a one-hitter and fanned six to spark MacArthur to a 10-2 victory over Altus Saturday in the title game of the Bo Bowman Baseball Tournament at Lawton High School.

DeLong, a senior lefty, was in command all the way on the mound in the five-inning contest plus he drew four walks at the plate, stole four bases and scored three runs to do a little bit of everything as the Highlanders ran their record to 10-4.

“Boux throws a fastball, change-up and slider plus he has a pretty good breaking ball as well,” coach/dad Rodney DeLong Sr. said. “He throws a good, live fastball with a good deal of movement.”

The Highlanders also played solid defense again Saturday.

“I think we had one ball we lost in the sun and one fielding error but other than that we played good defense in this tournament,” Coach DeLong said.

The Highlanders also got a break in the schedule that includes district games every Monday and Tuesday. Mac had Santa Fe South last week and Classen SAS coming up Tuesday for a doubleheader and with those two clubs down at the bottom of the district standings, Coach DeLong was able to use his entire staff during the Bowman.

The Mac offense was able to once again put pressure on the opponent, getting on base and being aggressive.

“We had eight steals today and we were just as aggressive against Riverside, Cache and then against Altus,” the coach said. “For the season we have stolen 82 bases including 24 in the Bowman. That puts a great deal of pressure on opponents. These guys all have the green light. Even (designated hitter) Gunner Tate has stolen eight bases; he’s fast for a big guy.”

With B. DeLong setting the stage with four walks, it opened the door for others to get big hits.

“Spencer Thurman had a three-run homer today and Lou Phillips had a pair of hits,” Coach DeLong said. “Right now we are playing at a high level. We will be having some big games coming up. Next week (April 7-8) we have Duncan and then we have Elgin after that (April 14-15) and those will be big games.”

Duncan and Elgin are both 6-0 in District 5A-2, while MacArthur and Altus are right behind at 5-0. So that could change when they start facing each other.

“I feel pretty good about where we are,” Coach DeLong said. “We scored 14, 12 and 10 runs in the Bowman and our pitchers did a good job. We threw some off our younger kids and they did a good job.”