Durant’s High School baseball squad sandwiched a win over Hugo between defeats against Stephenville, Texas, and Byng in the Annual Broken Bow Spring Break festival last week.
The Lions were on the short end of a 3-0 decision to Stephenville but erupted late to blow past Hugo, 10-3. A plethora of free passes proved costly for Durant in a 21-4 loss to Byng that moved their record to 3-4 on the season.
While the Durant bats were stymied against Stephenville, the Lions got solid pitching from the pair of Holdan Robinson and Reid Thompson as the duo combined to yield three runs (two earned) while scattering seven hits and striking out four in seven innings of work.
The Lions totaled just four hits, all which were singles, coming from Ryder Jones, Lucas McClure, Kolton Mason and Stephen Manhard.
Coach J.W. Parsons’ club spotted Hugo an early lead and was still trailing 3-2 after five frames when they exploded offensively.
Durant tallied a pair of runs in the third frame, cashing in a Manhard single and Jared Avalos double before Cole Robbins’ single.
It was Robbins and Jones that got the rally started in the sixth stanza, working singles around a walk to Elijah McClure. A Colton Poore sacrifice fly knotted the score and Robinson’s hit moments later put Durant ahead for good. Aiden Diviney’s grand slam two batters later gave the Lions plenty of breathing room.
Diviney worked the first four frames on the mound, allowing just one earned run on three hits and fanned six but it was Jones that picked up the victory with three innings of shutout relief, giving up just one hit and striking out six.
The Lions racked up 13 hits in the contest led by three apiece from Robbins and Jones with each driving in a run as well. Manhard posted two hits while Diviney, Avalos, Lucas McClure, Elijah McClure and Robinson all added one.
Byng exploded for a 7-0 edge after three innings, but Durant rallied to narrow the gap to 8-4 after six when the Pirates put it away by plating 13 runs in the seventh stanza.
Free passes proved costly for six Lion pitchers as they walked four and hit a whopping 13 batters.
Durant notched six hits offensively as Robbins and Elijah McClure contributed two apiece. Avalos and Lucas McClure both tossed in a hit.
