Stillwater gets best of Titans at Bill Tipton Classic
Carl Albert’s Mister Randle fields a throw to third base Saturday against Stillwater. PHOTO BY JEFF HARRISON
By Jeff Harrison
Midwest City Beacon
Carl Albert’s baseball team placed fourth at the Bill Tipton Classic last week.
The Titan (17-3) went 2-2 in their home tournament with wins over Weatherford and Putnam City North and a pair of losses against Stillwater.
They opened the tournament with an 8-0 victory against Putnam City North on Thursday morning. The Titans scored in all but one inning.
Samuel Gonzalez led the way with three hits. Tanner Norman, Hutch Russell, and Chase Lashley each had two hits and two RBIs.
Declan Murphy earned the win on the mound with a one-hit shutout. He racked up 15 strikeouts in the win.
Later that evening, the Titans dropped a seesaw battle against Stillwater. After giving up the lead with a seven-run rally in the top of the sixth, Carl Albert answered with six runs in the bottom of the inning to even the score at 10. But they later walked in the winning run in the seventh, giving the Pioneers an 11-10 win.
Gonzalez belted two home runs including one grand slam and had 5 RBIs. Mister Randle also went deep and had three RBIs.
After three scoreless innings, Stillwater struck first with two runs in the fourth. The Titans answered with a two-run homer by Randle for a 4-3 lead.
Stillwater regained control with seven runs in the sixth. Ethan Holliday capped the rally with a two-run single for a 10-4 advantage. Carl Albert evened the score with a grand slam by Gonzalez.
The Pioneers took the lead for good on a bases loaded walk with two outs in the seventh.
Jackson Fixico started the game and went five innings in the loss. Tylon Holman, Easton Perkins and Hutch Russell pitched in relief.
On Friday, the Titans blew out Weatherford 12-2.
Norman hit a pair of home runs, while Ryan Ray, Russell and Jackson Brown also went deep.
Mason Trotter earned the win in four innings. He allowed no earned runs on three hits and struck out seven.
The Titans took charge early with a pair of three-run homers by Norman and Ray in the first inning. Norman homered in the second inning. Russell and Brown homered in the fourth for the 12-2 win.
With the win, Carl Albert moved on to the third-place game against Stillwater on Saturday afternoon. The Titans led early in the game but couldn’t stop the Pioneers late in an 11-4 loss.
Stillwater took the lead with a three-run double by Holliday in the fifth. Holliday scored on an error on the play and Gunnar Gundy followed with a solo home run to make it a 6-2 score.
The Pioneers hit three more home runs for an 11-2 lead.
Russell got two runs back with a two-run homer in the seventh, making it an 11-4 final.
Gonzalez started the game and allowed seven earned runs on four hits and four walks. He struck out six batters. Russell pitched in relief and gave up three runs on three hits.
Kash Ferris went 3 for 4 at the plate with a double and two RBIs. He gave the Titans the lead in the second with a two-run single.
Carl Albert also swept a two-game series with El Reno earlier in the week. The Titans won 6-0 on Monday and 15-0 on Tuesday to stay tied for the lead in District 5A-1.
The Titans faced Bishop McGuinness on Monday and Tuesday. They will play in the Bixby/Broken Arrow Turf War Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
