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Calera Bulldog Logan Bumgarner swings at the ball during the conference championship with Caddo. Matt Swearengin | Durant Democrat -
Matt Swearengin | Durant Democrat Calera Bulldog Jaron Smith runs for home plate. -
Calera Bulldog Jaron Smith runs for base and also shown is Caddo Bruin Jake Mullens.
The Calera Bulldogs overcame an early 4-0 deficit to rally past Caddo, 12-4, last week and claimed the Bryan County Conference baseball championship.
After a rugged start, thanks in part to a pair of Calera errors and three straight Bruin hits to start the contest, Bulldog ace Logan Bumgarner settled in and stifled the visitors the rest of the way. The sophomore stalwart allowed just two hits over the final five stanzas and finished the game by allowing just one earned run to go along with four strikeouts and two walks.
Caddo got off and running in the top of the opening frame after Ryder Wingfield doubled in front of singles by Jake McKay and Jake Green. Hayden Bush also contributed a two-out single for the Bruins.
Calera began its rally with a run in the bottom of the first as Jaron Smith belted a double and raced home on a Bumgarner sacrifice fly.
It was still a 4-1 Caddo advantage in the third frame when the hosts capitalized on a pair of walks and Bruin miscues for three tallies to tie the score.
The Bulldogs went in front for good with a run in the fourth as Devan Walton singled and advanced around after a Hazyn Applegate single and bases loaded walk drawn by Bumgarner.
Five consecutive Calera batters reached to start the fifth inning as they tacked on four more for a commanding edge. Eason Humphers and Walton produced hits but the biggest blow was a double from Gary Chaffin that cleared the bases.
A three-run flurry with two outs in the sixth stanza helped put it away on the run rule. Cody Langley singled with a double from Ryan Dunn plating two and Chaffin’s following double accounting for the game’s final run.
Dunn and Chaffin each notched two hits and drove in three apiece. Walton and Langley both chipped in two hits while Smith, Applegate and Humphers all ended with one.
Caddo utilized four pitchers with Wingfield posting the longest outing, yielding one run on three hits and struck out four. He and McKay also shared four of the Bruins’ six hits in the game. Green and Bush tossed in one each.