EDMOND — The Class 5A Oklahoma high school baseball state quarterfinals took place Thursday in at Edmond Santa Fe High School. Here are recaps from each game:
More: Oklahoma high school baseball: Class 6A-2A state tournament schedule, scores
Kash Ferris roared to the Carl Albert crowd and turned to chest-bump Sammy Gonzales.
His visceral reaction was warranted. The emotion came after Sapulpa's Tyler Sparks grounded out to first base, resulting in a 1-0 Titans win — their 22nd consecutive victory.
"Whenever I walk out onto the mound, I want everybody to know that I'm the big dog," Ferris said. "I knew they couldn't handle me, and I was going to give them everything I had. I knew it was going to be a dogfight from the beginning, so it just came down to who had more guts."
Both teams were strong on the mound, but Ferris's impact was unrivaled.
The senior Oklahoma State signee pitched a shutout, striking out nine batters in the process to send Carl Albert to the Class 5A state semifinals.
The game remained at a stalemate through five innings as Sapulpa pitcher Braxton Jones allowed just three hits. Yet, after Declan Jones singled on a bunt, a failed pickoff attempt following a sacrifice bunt allowed Jones to sprint home to score.
Ferris allowed just one hit in the next two innings. Carl Albert's one-run win is a rare occurrence. They've become accustomed to defeating teams by nearly 15 runs per game during their win streak.
"This year has honestly been a roller coaster," Ferris said. "We started off real good, but then we faced some injuries, and we didn't know what we were going to do. Once we got healthy, we rallied together because we knew we had one goal in mind. And now we're two games away from it.
Carl Albert will face off against the winner of Collinsville-Elgin at 11 a.m. Friday.
JT Davis was driven to leave his imprint on the game while stepping on the mound.
Collinsville head coach Tony Reeder informed Davis earlier in the week that Thursday would be his last start of the season. This news was bittersweet for Davis, who has been a key player for the Cardinals.
As he approached the quarterfinal matchup with Elgin, he was filled with a mix of emotions, knowing that this could be his last chance to leave a mark on the season. And he did so by leading Collinsville in a 9-0 victory to advance to the state semifinals.
"I've had all four years of my high school career to be in the state tournament," Davis said. "I just treated today as if it was a regular or district game. I'd say it worked out in my favor."
The game quickly transformed into one of the best parts of his career.
Davis was electric on the mound for the Cardinals, allowing just one hit on 110 pitches and striking out 13 batters. The shutout was the 11th this season for Collinsville.
Davis' exceptional performance not only shut down Elgin's offense but also provided a strong foundation for the Cardinals' offense. Timely hits from Colton Hollenbeck and Preston Willis resulted in RBIs, which put Collinsville up 3-0 in the first inning.
Their lead ballooned to eight by the fifth inning following a pair of two-run RBIs from Jonathan Badgwell and Cal Schlomann.
The quarterfinal win gives Collinsville its 10th consecutive win. It's won 23 of its last 24 games.
The Cardinals look forrevenge next on Carl Albert on Friday, as the Titans ended their state championship hopes a year ago.
"I've had a lot of fun with all of our players here, so I'm at least glad I get to share a win with the guys in my last start," Davis said. "We just have to keep doing what we're doing and being aggressive at the plate. If we hit how we have been the past 20 games, I don't think anybody can stop us."
The invigorating phrase that Tahlequah baseball has lived by is perseverance.
It's a term that first became prevalent weeks ago amidst a four-game losing skid in the middle of April. Soon after, the Tigers would win nine of its last 10 games to close the regular season.
So, as Tahlequah trailed by two runs after the first inning, head coach Cody Pair reminded his group to persevere. His message resonated with his ball club as they defeated Noble 5-2.
"All year, all we've preached about is adversity," Pair said. "When we were down in that first inning, I had to remind them to keep fighting. And they did that. They stayed with the game plan and fought their butts off. That's all you can ask of them."
After giving a two-run RBI triple to Trent Shortes in the first inning, Tahlequah pitcher Brayden Northington threw a no-hitter for the remaining six innings.
The senior's valiant effort was impressive. On 100 pitches, Northington struck out six batters and allowed just one hit.
While Northington dominated on the mound, the Tigers' bats would bring them back into the game. Jacob Morrison and Synjin Sampson scored runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to give Tahlequah its first lead.
Then, in the bottom of the sixth, Northington hit a sacrifice fly, which brought Jason Girdner and Henry Hamley in to score. The victory gave Northington the final win of his career with the Tigers. He finishes the year with a 10-2 record on the mound.
"There's a lot of things I can say about Brayden, but that dude is a dog," Pair said. "He likes to put up a fight. The reason why he starts for us today is his mound presence. Today was just another day for him because he's been awfully good for us."
The win was Tahlequah's first state tournament win since 1996. It'll continue its quest for another state championship and play the winner between Coweta and Duncan at 1:30 p.m. Friday.
Chago Barham caught a face full of dirt as he slid across home plate.
Braham didn't like tasting the ground, but the reward made it worth the effort. His game-changing run gave Duncan (32-8) its first lead after a tie that persisted throughout the first five innings.
"I wanted to slide -- I wanted to get dirty," Barham said. "With it being my last year, those are the plays you have to make if you want to win. We've been doing really well all season, and I'm ready to go all the way with this team."
Barham's run kickstarted an avalanche of runs for the Demons, who defeated Coweta 4-1 in the state quarterfinals. After hits from Atticus Booth and Raymond Garland brought in Barham and others to score, Duncan added to its total.
However, the main story of the game was Demons pitcher Briscoe Smith.
In his debut at the state tournament, Smith showcased his mastery on the mound. He dominated with 16 strikeouts, allowing a mere two hits on 117 pitches to secure the win.
Smith struck out his first five batters on Thursday and maintained his undefeated record on the mound this season.
"When I went out there today, I just told myself not to think too much and to lock in," Smith said. "I know it's the state tournament now, but I tried to treat it like a normal game. You just can't show too much emotion, whether you're doing well or bad. And it worked for me today."
Duncan moves on to the Class 5A state semifinals to play Tahlequah on Friday at 1:30 p.m.
Jordan Davis covers high school sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Jordan? He can be reached at jdavis@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @jdavis34_ . Sign up for The Varsity Club newsletter to access more high school coverage. Support Jordan’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma HS baseball: Tahlequah, Collinsville, Carl Albert, Duncan advance to 5A semis
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