Marlow, Duncan go after state baseball titles today

OKLAHOMA CITY—Call it the Highway 81 State Title Showcase if you want because today Duncan and Marlow will be gunning for state baseball titles and you can bet there will be plenty of Stephens County folks on hand to watch at the Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark.

Marlow got the fun started Friday afternoon with a tense 1-0 victory over Tuttle in “walk-off” fashion to send the Outlaws into today’s 4A title game against Blanchard at 11 a.m. The Lions rolled to a 7-1 victory over Chickasha to set up the 4A title contest.

Duncan then took down Tahlequah, 7-3, in the second 5A semifinal game at Edmond Santa Fe High School. In the earlier game defending state champion Carl Albert earned its second straight shutout win, blanking Collinsville, 4-0. The Duncan-Carl Albert title game will be played at 2 p.m. at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark.

The state title tripleheader today at the Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark concludes with the 6A championship between Sand Springs and Westmoore at 5 p.m. Sand Springs edged Owasso, 2-0, and Westmoore routed Stillwater, 8-1, in Friday’s 6A semifinals.

Outlaws manufacture winning run

Marlow got the only run the Outlaws needed in the bottom of the seventh after a leadoff walk by Jackson Miller set the table. Freshman Jaxon Murray bunted Miller to second and a ground ball moved him to third with two outs.

Mason Holding, just one of the two seniors on the Marlow roster, followed with a ground ball toward the middle of the infield where the Tigers had made numerous great defensive plays to thwart the Outlaws time after time. But Holding was able to use his speed to beat the throw to first as Miller scored the winning run and was mobbed by teammates between third base and the mound.

The Outlaws collected just five hits but that was enough as Hudson Morgan allowed the Tigers just two hits while walking three and fanning six.