Hard Luck For Young Wolves At Hardball Classic

TRIAL BY FIRE FOR UNDERCLASSMEN IN OKLAHOMA TOURNAMENTS

LINCOLN -- The young Wolves baseball team experienced some hard luck at the Ketchum, Okla., Hardball Classic tournament held last week.

The Wolves began the tournament with a 7-1 victory over Chelsea, Okla., on Thursday, but suffered back-to-back losses to Adair, Okla., (10-2) and Locust Grove, Okla., (11-1) on Friday.

Coach Justin Bounds has 22 players, many of whom are playing varsity for the first time this season. Of the 10 batters Lincoln sent to the plate against Chelsea, all but three were underclassmen. Lincoln produced 7 runs, but another 17 base-runners were left stranded, exemplifying some of the challenges of coaching a young team.

Lincoln 7, Chelsea, Okla. 1

Lincoln starter sophomore Sterling Morphis didn't allow any runs over the first three innings. Meanwhile the Wolves built a lead, scoring 2 runs in the first and one in the third. Once Chelsea did score in the top of the fourth, the only run allowed by Morphis, who scattered 5 hits and struck out 7 in six innings; the Wolves responded with 4 runs of their own in the bottom of the inning to extend their lead to 7-1. Morphis made the lead hold up over the final two innings aided by a Lincoln defense which didn't have any errors.

Offensively, freshman Cordelle Whetsell had a double and 2 RBIs to lead the Wolves. Junior Trae Harrison had an RBI on a 1 for 2 performance. Morphis helped his cause at the plate, going 1 for 2 with an RBI and had a stolen base. Sophomore Josh Jetton was 1 for 2 with an RBI, while classmate Caleb Lloyd (1 for 3), also got aboard when he was hit by a pitch. Lloyd scored two runs. Freshman Chase Hutchens (2 for 3) also contributed a stolen base and scored a run.

Locust Grove, Okla. 11, Lincoln 1

After a scoreless first inning, the Pirates racked up 4 runs in the second and 4 in the third. Locust Grove would push three more runs across in the fourth to offset one by Lincoln, giving the Pirates a 10-run victory in four innings. Lincoln used three pitchers in the game: freshman Ian Jackson, Jetton and junior Jacob Anderson, who combined for two strikeouts and twice hit batters with pitches while allowing 11 runs on 10 hits. Locust Grove starter junior Brody Boudreau pitched all four innings for the Pirates, allowing 2 hits, 1 run, 2 bases on balls with one strike-out. Sophomore Billy Knott was 2 for 3 with 5 runs batted in to top Locust Grove. Senior Blake Gibson was 2 for 3 with a triple and an RBI. Senior Darryle Trammel was 1 for 2 with a pair of runs driven in for the Pirates.

Adair, Okla. 10, Lincoln 2

The Wolves started off with a 2-0 lead after the first inning against Adair, Okla., getting an RBI from Whetsell (1 for 2). Lloyd (3 for 3) and Morphis, who drew a base on balls each scored for the Wolves. Lincoln would have 9 hits in the game, but leave 8 runners on base. The Warriors capitalized, scoring twice in the second and third innings to take a 4-2 lead, then adding six runs in the top of the fourth. When Lincoln could not answer, the game ended with Adair, winning 10-2 in four innings. Sophomore Dawson Calico pitched 3.1 innings, surrendering 9 runs on 8 hits including a home-run. In spite of the tough outing, he is gaining valuable experience with each batter faced. Calico had one strike-out while facing 22 batters.

Leflore, Okla. 2, Lincoln 1

On Saturday, the Wolves lost a heart-breaker by a 2-1 score to Leflore, Okla. The defeat dropped Lincoln to 3-10 for the year.

Sports on 03/22/2017