Staff Writer
Kenny Howell
CHOUTEAU —
Some Chouteau and Salina players that could be making names for themselves in the next few years battled Monday, with the 2A Salina Wildcats pulling out a 10-7 victory in eight innings.
Salina had the lead early, but Chouteau controlled things most of the game. Brett Fite walked and Brett Kerns was hit by a pitch. Fite came in on a passed ball and Kerns came in on a bad throw back to the pitcher.
But Chouteau bounced back in the bottom half of the first with four runs. Deon Hilligoss got hit by a pitch and Cale Bacon singled.
Austin Hershberger brought in both runs with a 2-RBI triple. Tanner Darnell followed that with a single and Jacob Willerton drove in a run with a RBI single. Brett Wagnon capped off the scoring with a RBI groundout to the shortstop.
Brent Bluebird scoreed on a passed ball in the third to cut the lead to 4-3, but Chouteau pushed it back out to two runs when Matthew Bendure drove in a run with a RBI ground out to second.
Chouteau added another run in the bottom of the fourth with a Darnell RBI single to make the lead 6-3. However, Salina tied things up in the top of the fifth. Brett Kerns scored on an error and Brock Thomas drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. Dillon Gardner tied the game up with a RBI single.
Jesse Blaylock led off the sixth with a single and eventually scored on an error to give Salina their first lead since the top of the first inning.
But Chouteau wasn’t done. With two outs in the bottom of the seventh, Bendure came through again, this time with a RBI single to push the game into extra innings.
Salina had a big top of the eighth to help seal the victory. Blaylock reached base on an error and was scored on Kerns RBI single. Two more runs scored on an error. Bluebird kept Chouteau off the board in the bottom half to pull out the victory.
Salina played some of the game with just eight players as one got sick in the game and eventually left in the fifth. Salina just used two outfielders for those innings which he could not play, and took an automatic out at the plate when it was his turn to bat.
2A Salina playsat Wagoner Thursday. Chouteau is at Bartlesville. Both games start at5:30 p.m.
Salina 10 Chouteau 7
S - 201 031 03 - 10 5 2
C - 401 100 10 - 7 10 6
Brock Thomas, Brett Fite (4), Brent Bluebird (5) and Nate Holman. Curtis Foreman, Trent Soldier (4), Deon Hilligoss (8) and Cale Bacon. W: Bluebird. L: Hilligoss.
