A doubleheader split of District 5A-4 contests with Tulsa Booker T. Washington secured the Durant Lions the league third place slot in the regional baseball playoffs set for next week.
The Lions dropped a 4-3 verdict in the first meeting but bounced back with a narrow 3-2 decision in the home game on Senior Night to maintain the postseason positioning.
Durant will travel to Collinsville for the regional tournament and be joined by Shawnee and Tulsa Rogers in the four-team field that will decide who advances to the state tournament.
In the first Booker T meeting last week, the Lions made the most of two hits – both of which came from Aiden Diviney – before seeing a late rally fall short.
The host Hornets pushed across four runs in the fourth stanza, all of which came on a two-out flurry that was aided by a pair of walks and a hit batsman.
Durant took advantage of Booker T wildness as well, notching three runs in the sixth as they loaded the bases with walks to Elijah McClure and Holdan Robinson sandwiched around Cole Robbins being hit by a pitch. Reid Thompson walked to force in the first run and Colton Poore was hit by another pitch to make it 4-2.
A groundout by Diviney knocked in the third run but that’s where the rally ended in the frame.
The Lions loaded the bases again with one out in the final inning following two hit batters and a Hornet error, but a gameending double play thwarted the comeback attempt.
McClure tossed five and onethird innings on the mound, scattering four runs and three hits while striking out three and walking three. Thompson recorded the final two outs, including a strikeout.
Durant rode another strong pitching effort in game two, this time from Diviney as the southpaw fired seven innings, yielding two runs on three hits with seven strikeouts and five walks, on the way to the mound triumph.
Booker T got on the board first before the Lions tied it in the bottom of the stanza with hits by Diviney and Robbins along with two walks.
The Hornets surged back in front with one tally in the third, but Durant had the answer one frame later, scoring a pair for what proved to be the final scores of the contest. Ryder Jones got it going with a leadoff single and rode home on Robinson’s two-run homer just one batter later.
Durant finished the game with seven hits as Robinson and Robbins posted two apiece. Diviney, Ryder Jones and Jacob Jones all had one hit.
