In a battle of Class 2A Top-10 ranked Bryan County baseball foes last week, number one Silo blanked Calera, 6-0, to remain at the top of the rankings heading toward the playoffs.
The Rebels utilized solid pitching from the sophomore duo of Blane Beauchamp and Aiden McCarty as they combined on a three-hit shutout that included two strikeouts and seven walks.
Silo cashed in early scoring opportunities which Calera could not, including plating two runs in both the first and second innings.
Jory Allen, Bryce Vandenburg and Landon Langley each had hits to spur the opening flurry with Cord Standridge and Zane Sander leading the charge with hits in the second.
Langley doubled and scored again in the third frame with the final tally coming on a Cannon Atwood groundout following more hits from Vandenburg and Langley, who finished with three hits in the contest.
Gavin Chaffin scattered nine hits but allowed only three earned runs in being tagged with the pitching loss.
Jaron Varner pitched in two hits and Zaiden Craige had one for the Bulldogs.
Silo added to that victory with three more on the week with its lone loss coming to Class A power Rattan, 6-3, in the semifinals of the Rams’ tournament.
The Rebels bounced back with a 14-3 thumping of Wister to claim third place as they rode the hot bat of Sam Mendenall, who had three hits, including a grand slam, and drove in a team-high five runs.
That finished off a flurry of 13 straight unanswered runs by Silo to close the game. Braden Hill chipped in two hits and knocked in four runs.
Langley was the pitching benefactor with a complete game, yielding six hits and allowing three unearned runs to go with five strikeouts for their 21st win of the season.
Calera, meanwhile, closed the week by winning one of three games in the Amber-Pocasset Festival. The Bulldogs dropped a decision to Fort Cobb-Broxton (12-0) and the host Panthers (4-3) but notched a 9-2 triumph against Arapaho.
In that win, Craige twirled five and two-third solid frames on the mound for the victory, scattering five hits and seven strikeouts as he allowed two runs (only one earned).
Calera made the most of five hits, two of which came from Lex Carlton.
Colbert Baseball
Coach Zach Crabtree’s Leopards reached the 20-win plateau last week by blasting Rock Creek (12-0) and sweeping a pair of games from Vanoss by 10-1 and 5-3 counts.
In the Rock Creek win, Remington Graham was outstanding on the mound, working four scoreless frames in which he allowed just two hits and struck out seven.
Colbert scored at least twice in every frame to end it early on the run rule. Kaden Neill provided three hits and drove in two. Hudson Bridgman added one hit with three RBI and Canon Marr contributed a double and also knocked in a pair.
Rock Creek’s hits came singles from Kenneth Ashby and Liam Ribera.
Graham was the offensive stalwart in the Vanoss opening game, blasting a home run and single while driving in four runs. Garrett Taylor ended with three hits with Neill and Brett Parsons contributing two apiece.
Parsons was also the winning pitcher, working four and two-third frames of scoreless three-hit ball. He fanned six.
Things were a little tighter in game two after Colbert built a big early lead before having to hold off a late Wolves charge.
Marr and Neill combined for the pitching triumph, yielding three runs (two earned) on five hits and struck out 12 over seven innings.
Graham had two hits, including a double, with Braydon Thompson adding two doubles for the Leopards.
Calera Bulldog Lex Carlton runs to second base and also shown is Silo Rebel Sam Mendenall.
