Jun. 25—ALVA, Okla. — The Enid Majors needed just three innings to take down Wichita 316 Grimes, 16-0 on Thursday, June 24, 2021 in their first game of the Northwestern Oklahoma State tournament at Myers Stadium.
Enid scored three runs in the first and four in the second, before driving in nine runs in the third inning to end the game on a run-rule and improve to 13-0 on the season. Former Plainsmen Jacob McCool drove in the final run on a three-run homer to centerfield.
The Majors had 11 hits and one error, while 316 Grimes was held to one hit and had five errors. Future Oklahoma pitcher Bode Brooks started the game for the Majors and struck out three batters and walked two in three complete innings pitched.
Two of the walks came in the first inning, but third baseman Carson Benge was able to turn a double-play that ended the threat.
Ty Hammack (of Deer Creek) drove in four runs and was three-for-three at the plate, Benge (of Yukon) was two-for-three with two RBIs and Zandt Payne (of Deer Creek) was two-for-three with two RBIs.
Enid Majors head coach Kris Webb said he’s been pleased with the depth he’s seen from his team this summer.
“They’re doing a good job when they get in to take advantage of some things. The good thing for those guys is I think they’re gonna be ready when they go wherever they go in the fall,” Webb said. “We can mix some right and left matchups too. Payne’s a switch hitter, I’ve got a couple good righties on the bench. So it’s nice to have that stuff.”
The Majors face S. Elevation 18u on Friday at 3:45 p.m. at Alva High School. It’ll be the first of a double-header that will conclude with an 8:15 p.m. game against the Wichita Grays 1 at Myers Stadium.
Webb said he plans to start Deer Creek product Keaton Ruthhardt in the Majors first game.
The Plainsmen went 2-0 in their first two games of the NWOSU tournament, defeating Alva 10-0 and the Wichita Grays 2, 16-3 in a double-header on Thursday with both games ending in four innings.
Seth Carlson started on the mound against Alva and threw all four innings. Bennett Percival threw all four innings in the second game and allowed three hits and three runs. All three of Alva’s hits came in the third inning, when they reached on an error, walked two batters and then had a bases-clearing double to drive in three runs.
“Outside of that one inning he threw the ball really well, he pitched really well,” Enid head coach Brad Gore said.
He also said he thought Carlson had a good game. Dallas Goodpasture hit an RBI double in the first game and McCage Hartling also made an impact at the plate.
“Everybody hit a little bit and we ran the bases really well, we stole some runs on them. We played pretty well,” he said.
Gore said he expects Friday’s competition to get a little bit tougher, when the team faces the Aviators at 9 a.m. at Alva High School and then an 11:15 a.m. game against 316-Jones on the same field.
The Aviators lost their first game of the tournament against 316-Helms 17-2. Dallas Goodpasture will get the start in game one on Friday according to Gore. Jacob Kennedy will get the start in the second game.
“We just want continuing to improve. I think the competition will be a lot tougher,” Gore said.
Gore said he thinks his team is starting to gain a little momentum this summer. Momentum that the team needs as it attempts to develop several young pitchers and replace key starters from last year’s squad.
Momentum can be a difficult thing to keep in baseball, especially when faced with a week-long break imposed by the OSSAA on all teams during what’s known as the “dead period.”
The dead period begins on Saturday and runs until July 3, which means the Plainsmen won’t be able to continue past the group stage of the NWOSU tournament this weekend.
“I don’t know what that’s gonna be like coming back,” Gore said about the dead period. “We’re getting some progress and getting some momentum built up, and then we have this dead period that I just don’t understand, but I guess it’s not for me to understand.”
Gore said the team will just have to find a way to continue to build on what they’ve done so far this summer when they get back.
“We just have to continue to get after it,” he said. “We’re just trying to keep getting better. Our pitchers threw pretty well today and stayed away from the walks, so we’re slowly making progress.”
Masri is sports editor for the Enid News & Eagle.
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