A dramatic late rally by Durant turned back Booker T. Washington but the Lion baseball team saw its season end with back-to-back losses to powerful Tahlequah in the Class 5A regional tournament.
The Lions finished the season with an 18-18 record, the program’s most wins since 2017.
Things did not look good for Durant, trailing Booker T by a 5-1 margin heading into the final stanza with only four hits offensively through six innings.
Coach J.W. Parsons’ club found its offensive spark however when it had to as Aiden Diviney, Cole Robbins, Kaden Neill and Elijah Mc-Clure all notched together consecutive singles with one out to narrow the gap to 5-3.
Lucas McClure drew a walk to load the bases and Maddox Arnold lined a single to center to close the gap to a run. The Lions failed on a squeeze bunt attempt moments later but caught a major break when the Hornets misplayed an outfield pop fly by Jared Avalos that scored three runs for the lead.
Reid Thompson yielded a run in the bottom of the frame but worked out of a one-out jam with the tying run at third and winning run at second thanks to a pop fly and strikeout to finish off the 7-6 triumph.
Jackson Williams was the pitcher of record when Durant took the lead and was credited with the win, allowing two runs (one earned) on only one hit with a strikeout and two walks in two and two-third stanzas. Thompson earned the save with one frame of scoreless relief.
Neill, Lucas McClure and Arnold all tallied two hits for the Lions with one apiece by Diviney, Robbins and Elijah McClure.
Durant tried to make a similar comeback after spotting Tahlequah a 6-0 edge through two innings of the 9-2 loss, but just could not make up enough of the gap as they managed only three hits.
One of those hits came in the fifth when the Lions tallied both of their runs.
Arnold was hit by a pitch and Avalos walked with each racing around to score on a Diviney double, which was one of his two hits in the contest. Lucas McClure posted the other.
Robbins was tagged with the pitching defeat, allowing seven earned runs on six hits with seven strikeouts and six walks in four and two-third innings. Kolton Mason yielded one unearned run on one hit in one and one-third frames.
The Lions couldn’t recover in a rematch with the Tigers as they dropped a 10-0 verdict to end the season.
Tahlequah scored in four of the five stanzas of what proved to be a run rule. The Tigers posted single runs in the first and second before breaking things wide open with six tallies in the fourth along with a pair in the fifth.
Robbins and Avalos each had a single for Durant’s only two hits. Holdan Robinson suffered the pitching defeat, allowing six runs while scattering four hits. He also struck out three and walked four.
