Busy Weekend for Bluejay Baseball

Guthrie had a very busy weekend of baseball during their trip to Kingfisher’s annual “The Shed” tournament. The good news is they won three games. The bad news is their pattern of clutch comebacks against tough opponents finally fell short, and the Bluejays took their first loss of the season.

Game One last Thursday featured Guthrie facing off against the Clinton Red Tornadoes. Clinton jumped out to the big early lead, as Bluejay starter Willie Clymer struggled. Clymer gave up six runs on three hits and six walks, with two wild pitches, and only struck out three Clinton hitters. By the time he was pulled for Owen Wilder in the third inning, the Red Tornadoes were up 6-2.

In the meantime, Guthrie’s bats woke up in the 5th inning. The Jays combined singles from Carson Wilder and Josh Dement with Cale Evans’s double to put up three runs, then took the lead for good on Kellen Hirzel’s basesloaded double to center that cleared the bases and scored Jace Rainwater, Josh Dement, and Luke Hubbard.

Wilder and Hayden Calvert took the Blue Jays home, combining to shut Clinton out the rest of the way and give up only two more hits and three walks. Wilder was credited with the win as Guthrie came away with the 9-6 victory.

In Game Two, the Jays faced Kingfisher in their first game on Friday. The first three innings were tough for both teams, and the game went into the 4th inning tied at 2 runs each. But the Jays exploded in bottom of the 4th inning, as lead-off batter Willie Clymer singled to left on his first pitch, then Cale Evans sparked Guthrie’s offense with a two-run homer, stroking one deep over the left field fence. Guthrie went on to post nine runs on Evans’s homer, three singles, four walks, two hit batters, and a Kingfisher error.

Brent Ingle started for the Bluejays and gave up 6 runs on 7 hits, with three strikeouts and a walk, but this was good enough to get him the win.

The second game on Friday was by far Guthrie’s most challenging of the season, as they met the Heritage Hall Chargers. The two teams traded blows early, with Heritage Hall grabbing a 1st-inning lead. Guthrie took it back in the third, as Willie Clymer’s lead-off single and Cale Evans’s walk set up Carson Wilder to go deep to left for a threerun dinger. Zach Henry added a run after this walk and subsequent steals put him in position to score from third on a wild pitch by Chargers’ hurler Ben Thomas, and Guthrie ended their inning up 4-2. The Jays’ happiness was short-lived, however, as Heritage Hall tied it back up in the bottom of the inning, grinding out two runs, with the tying run coming on Carson Wilder’s passed ball just before Luke Hubbard struck out the Chargers’ Brody Offel to end the inning.

Guthrie stepped up again in the 5th inning, playing small ball. Jackson Walters singled to lead off the inning, then Willie Clymer drew a walk. Cale Evans’ sacrifice bunt moved both runners into scoring position, and Guthrie had a golden opportunity with men at second and third with only one out, and Carson Wilder coming up. Heritage Hall gave Wilder the intentional pass and loaded the bases for Zach Henry. Henry scored Walters on his fielder’s choice, and the Jays again had the lead. However, Clymer was picked off at third by Charger catcher Kaeden Woods to end any remaining Guthrie threat.

The Bluejays couldn’t hold it, though, as their pattern of late-game heroics was turned against them. Heritage Hall scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth, on a walk, two hits, a sac fly to Niko Pena in right, and most crucially, a throwing error by Carson Wilder trying to catch Heritage Hall’s Braeden Perkins after a wild pitch by Zach Henry.

Guthrie couldn’t respond against Charger closer Julius Ejike-Charles, and the Bluejays took their loss by an 8-5 final.

Moving to Saturday, Guthrie finished off the tournament against Putnam City West, rolling to a 9-1 run-rule victory with more of the late-game offensive bursts we’ve come to expect from the Bluejays. Owen Wilder pitched all 5 innings for the Bluejays, giving the Patriots their one run on only three hits and two walks. Wilder struck out four Patriot hitters. Meanwhile, Cale Evans led the offense for Guthrie, going 2-for-3 including a double, driving in three runs and scoring one of his own.

Guthrie travels to Guymon for a district doubleheader this week.