Titans fall to Pryor in first round of state
Mason Avery pitches for Carl Albert during the first round of the Class 5A baseball state tournament May 15 in Sapulpa. Photo by Jeff Harrison
By Jeff Harrison
Midwest City Beacon
SAPULPA – There would be no three-peat in Class 5A baseball.
Two-time defending state champion Carl Albert saw its season end last Thursday with a 2-1 loss to Pryor in 10 innings in the first round of the 5A state tournament.
The Titans had solid pitching and defense but struggled to find clutch hits. They stranded five runners in scoring position.
“Those are the type of games you expect in a state tournament,” said coach Ryan Whiteley. “I thought our kids played with great effort and Mason (Avery) pitched really well and we played great defense behind him. We weren’t able to come away with a timely run late. I thought Pryor did a great job defensively and made it tough to produce runs. I’m extremely proud of our guys and the season they had.”
Avery was a workhorse on the mound, allowing only two runs and three hits in nine innings. Declan Murphy pitched the final inning of relief.
Murphy and Jacson Webster had two hits each. Boston Holland was 1 for 3 with a walk.
Pryor’s Talan Foster homered in the sixth inning for a 1-0 lead. Webster tried to make a leaping grab but crashed into the outfield wall in left. He was briefly shaken up by the collision that left a large dent in the wall.
The Titans answered in the bottom of the seventh to force extra innings. Murphy singled, Avery was hit by a pitch, and Webster walked to load the bases. Holland later drew a walk to score the tying run at 1-1.
Pryor regained the lead 2-1 after four straight hitters reached base in the top of the 10th. Jaran Bailey drove in the go-ahead run with a single to center field.
The Titans had hope in the bottom of the inning. Nate Deleplank drew a leadoff walk and later advanced to third with one out. But CAHS could not capitalize and fell 2-1.
Carl Albert finished the season 28-10.
Pryor lost to Duncan 10-2 in the state semifinals on Friday. Duncan, the state runner-up in 2024, then beat Elgin 8-5 in the state finals on Saturday.
