DURANT — The heat must play tricks on the mind. An entire team forgot to show up to the Durant Multi-Sports Complex Thursday. The No-Show Texas Naturals skipped the Harlene T. Gumm Fourth of July Tournament, causing a scramble for the teams scheduled to play one of the two games and an adjustment to the rest of the schedule.

On the field it was a solid day for Durant. Larry Dyson Motors won both of its pool play games, while Durant High managed to hang with a Texas all-star squad for six innings.

LDM opened with a 9-3 come-from-behind win over Ardmore. Durant High followed with an 11-6 loss to the Titans Blue squad and LDM topped the Blue 7-3. On the other field Titans Red opened with a 10-1 win over Zone Club, but the next two games were schedule for the Reds and Zone to each play the Naturals. The Reds and Zone made the best of it, and turned it into a doubleheader.

Tonight’s only change is that Texarkana will now play Zone at 8:30 on Field 2. Saturday has been moved from a noon start to 2:15. Ardmore opens with Blue on Field 1 and Texarkana will play Lewisville the same time on Field 2. In the next game on Field 2, Lewisville plays Titans Red, while all the Durant games remain as originally scheduled.

LDM 9, Ardmore 3

There was a strong enough start; Logan Oller tripled off the right field wall before a sac fly by Keach Ballard tied the game 1-all in the bottom of the first. The next three innings, LDM’s offense grinded to a halt, while Ardmore took a 3-1 lead through four.

Durant tied the game with a pair of runs in the fifth in small-ball fashion. Landon Green doubled before a sacrifice bunt by Ethon McBride. Oller hit a sac fly to score the first run before Keach Ballard doubled with two outs. Max White tied the game with an RBI-single.

Oller started the game and worked three innings. Green pitched two innings of relief for the win while White closed out the contest in the seventh. Before that, LDM plated six runs on five hits. Jordan Mings, Green and Ballard each doubled, while McBride added an RBI single and Travis Caraway provided a bunt single.

Ardmore was led by Josiah Custar with a run, RBI and three walks.

Titans Blue 11,

Durant High 6

Daylan Green worked 5.0 innings and although he gave up four earned runs on 11 hits, for the most part, kept the Titans off balance with a looping breaking pitch. Durant was able to match the Titans with a run in the first inning before falling behind 5-1 into the bottom of the third.

Tyler Hendley led off with a walk before a single by Colby Hicks. Jordan Mobbs walked to load the bases before Taylor Roy drew a bases-loaded walk. Consecutive errors brought home the next three runs to tie the game at 5-all.

The Titans’ next run also came unearned after a two-out error in the fifth. Roy reached on an error to lead off the bottom of the inning, and scored after back-to-back singles by Ruben Ramos and Josh Brown. Travis Smith entered and retired the side in order in the top of the sixth, but didn’t have the same luck in the top of the seventh.

The Titans broke free for five runs on five hits, and Durant failed to answer in the bottom of the inning.

Hicks led the Durant offense, batting 3-for-4, while Brown had the only other multiple-hit game going 2-for-3.

LDM 7, Titans Blue 3

The Titans opened scoring with a pair of runs in the top of the first, but Trevor Cook ended up working a complete-game win without giving up an earned run. White hit a solo home run to cut the lead in half after one inning, and Durant took over in the second.

Kenton Stanley led off with a walk before back-to-back singles by Trevor Bagley and McBride. Ballard doubled home a pair of runs to five Durant a 4-2 lead.

The Titans scored their final run of the game when Michael Hatcher reached on a fielder’s choice and scored on an error in the third.

Durant got that run back with a single by White and RBI-triple by Anthony Trevino in the bottom of the inning.

The last two runs came in the fourth. Bagley and McBride hit back-to-back singles in the bottom of the fourth before a two-run double by Oller. White led the offense, batting 3-for-3 with a home run, double and two runs scored.