BASEBALL: Claremore goes 0-4 at Tate Aggie Classic in Florida
· Yahoo Sports
Claremore left the confines of Oklahoma riding the momentum of a 7-0 start, but it will return home searching for answers.
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The Zebras weathered a difficult spring-break trip to Pensacola, Florida, where they endured a four-game losing streak in the Tate Aggie Classic.
Despite several standout individual performances and competitive stretches, particularly in the final two games, Claremore was unable to halt the skid, falling to Pensacola Catholic, Pace [Florida], Tate [Cantonment, Florida] and W.S. Neal [East Brewton, Alabama].
The Zebras [7-4] will look to regroup from the challenging trip when they return to action at 5 p.m. Monday at Will Rogers in District 5A-3 action.
GAME 1: PENSACOLA CATHOLIC 11, CLAREMORE 0
A grand slam punctuated a decisive fourth-inning avalanche as Pensacola Catholic rolled to an 11-0 victory Monday.
The Zebras managed just 2 hits — 1 each from Tyler Osgood and Brayden Floyd — while the Crusaders' Drew Collins dominated, going 3-for-3 with 6 RBIs, including the inning-ending slam.
Pensacola Catholic opened the scoring in the first when Reed Rhodes singled home a run while also advancing into scoring position on an error.
A sacrifice fly by Jalen Moton plated another in the second before Collins doubled home 2 runs in the third to stretch the lead to 4-0.
The game broke open in the fourth.
Ben Bates singled in a run, Rhodes and Lane Grissett were both hit by pitches with the bases loaded to force in runs, and Collins crushed a grand slam to left to cap a 7-run frame.
GAME 2: PACE 11, CLAREMORE 1
A chaotic second inning featuring 6 runs without a hit doomed Claremore in Tuesday’s 11-1 loss to Pace.
Evan Jameson drove in the Zebras’ lone run, while Floyd and Jax Van Valkenburg each recorded a hit.
The Patriots struck first in the opening inning when Dax Brooks homered to left before Emory Allen grounded out to score another run.
Claremore briefly answered in the second as Jameson’s sacrifice scored Floyd to make it 2-1.
Pace responded emphatically.
Brooks walked with the bases loaded to force in a run, Braiden Cheshire and Allen were hit by pitches to plate another pair, a groundout added another and an error allowed 2 additional runs to score in the 6-run outburst.
An error in the third pushed the margin wider before Jackson Wheaton’s 2-run homer in the fourth completed the scoring.
GAME 3: TATE 6, CLAREMORE 5
The Zebras looked poised to snap its skid before a walk-off error handed Tate a 6-5 victory Wednesday.
Van Valkenburg and Osgood each had 2 hits and 2 RBIs as Claremore out-hit the Aggies 7-6.
The Zebras stormed ahead in the first when Van Valkenburg doubled home 2 runs, Luke Roberts executed a sacrifice bunt to score another and Osgood singled to bring home a fourth run.
Tate chipped away in the second on a hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded, but Claremore extended its lead to 5-1 in the third when Osgood singled home a run.
The Aggies began their comeback with Griffin Cook’s RBI double in the third, then drew closer in the fifth when Cook homered and another run scored on a wild pitch.
In the seventh, Cook again delivered with a run-scoring double before a Zebras error allowed the winning run to cross the plate.
GAME 4: W.S. NEAL 9, CLAREMORE 8
Claremore mounted a dramatic seventh-inning push Thursday but couldn’t complete the comeback in a 9-8 loss to W.S. Neal.
Floyd led the Zebras with two hits, while Saxton Pickup, Jameson and Osgood each drove in a run.
The Eagles opened the scoring in the first when Easton Grace singled in a run aided by an error.
The Zebras answered immediately, with Floyd’s RBI single plating a run before Jameson grounded out to tie the game.
W.S. Neal reclaimed the lead in the third as a run scored on a wild pitch and another came home on a fielder’s choice. An error in the fourth extended the margin.
Claremore trimmed the deficit in the fourth when a run scored on a passed ball, then tied it in the fifth as Floyd scored on a catcher’s error and Osgood reached on another miscue that allowed a run to score.
The Eagles surged ahead again in the sixth when a sacrifice bunt produced a run on an error before Grace launched a 2-run homer.
W.S. Neal added another 2 runs in the seventh on Jarrod Crook’s RBI double and Eli Stone’s run-scoring single.
The Zebras refused to go quietly, though.
Osgood singled home a run, Pickup followed with another RBI single and an error allowed a third run to score, but the rally ended one swing short.