The Vian Wolverines baseball team took the first step toward a statetournament berth as they swept the Mounds Golden Eagles by scores of 3-1 and 18-4 in five innings last Wednesday in the Class 2A District Tournament.
The Wolverines (2017) will advance to this week’s Class 2A Regional Tournament in Oktaha where they will meet Morrison at 1:30 p.m. Thursday. The Vian-Morrison winner will meet the Hennessey- Oktaha winner at 4 p.m. Thursday, with the winner advancing to the regional final at 6:30 p.m. Friday.
The Vian-Morrison loser will meet the Hennessey- Oktaha loser at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, with the winner advancing to the loser’s-bracket final at 4 p.m. Friday, while the loser will be eliminated from postseason play.
The if-game for the regional title is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday. The regional champion will advance to next week’s Class 2A State Tournament.
The Wolverines lost their final regular-season game on April 22, losing 11-2 on the road against Panama.
In Game 1 against Mounds, after the Golden Eagles broke a scoreless deadlock with a run in the fourth inning, the Wolverines took the lead for good with a three-run fifth inning, highlighted by Draighton Fletcher’s one-out, solo home run and Lastyn Taylor’s two-out, two-run double, for a 3-1 lead.
For the game, Fletcher hit a solo homer, Taylor hit a two-run double and Cash Collins doubled and scored once for Vian.
Riley Ellis (7-0) got the complete-game win, fanning 11 batters in seven innings and throwing a two-hitter.
In the districtclinching victory, the Wolverines wasted little time in taking control, scoring five runs in the first inning for a 5-0 lead, which became an 11-1 lead by the second inning. A sevenrun third inning put the game into run-rule status.
For the contest, Collins was 4-for-4 with a double, a triple, three runs scored and a run batted in, Fletcher was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI, Gabe Gilbert was 2-for-3 with a double, four RBIs and three runs scored, Kaden Fulbright was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI, Stryker Fields was 2-for-4 with three RBIs and a run scored and Taylor doubled with three runs scored and an RBI for Vian.
Michael Polecat (5-3) got the complete-game victory with eight strikeouts in five innings.
In the loss to Panama, the Razorbacks broke a 2-all tie with a three-run third inning, a single run in the fourth inning and a five-run fifth inning to put the game into run-rule status.
The Wolverines were two-hit by the Panama duo of Caleb Brewer and Aryn Seamans as all Vian could muster was a two-run double by Ellis in the first inning that produced Vian’s run and a single by Polecat. Polecat and Cash Collins scored on Ellis’ two-RBI double.
Fletcher (1-4) suffered the loss, going the first 2.2 innings with two strikeouts. Lastyn Taylor went the next 1.2 innings with a strikeout, while Drake Collins got the game’s final out on a strikeout.
