The #1 ranked Pitkin Tigers had a lucky number on their side Wednesday morning when they took the field to face #3 Family Community for the state Class B baseball title. The lucky number was three, as the Tigers scored three runs in the first inning, the fourth inning and the sixth inning. They needed every one of them to hold off the Warriors, 9-6, to win the 14th state baseball title in school history.
The game was played in blustery, windy conditions at Sulphur’s McMurray Park. The wind came into play several times during the game.
Family Community’s first hitter, Eli Cottingham, smacked the first pitch he saw from Tiger starter Lincoln Stephens off the wall for a stand-up double. He scored when Rylan Thomas poked a single up the middle for a 1-0 Warriors lead.
Pitkin sent seven batters to the plate in the bottom of the first. Kash Wisby singled before Gavin Holt smacked a triple that hugged the first base line, going all the way to the right corner of the outfield to tie the game, 1-1. J.”Dub” Davis drew a four-pitch walk, and Tagen Farmer hit into a fielder’s choice that drove in Holt for a 2-1 lead. Gage James made it 3-1 with a single that scored Davis from second base.
Ivan Lockhart led off the Tigers bottom of the second with a single. That led to a pitching change for the Warriors. Rylan Thomas relieved starter Tanner Lord and got Cy Johnson to hit into a double play to end the inning.
Thomas singled for Family Community in the top of the third, stole second, and came home on a hit by Kyler Roberts to cut the Tigers’ lead to 3-2. Pitkin left the bases loaded in the bottom of the third.
Family Community tied the game in the fourth with a lead-off double from Dylan Dunn, a throwing error on Farmer, the Tiger catcher, and a two-out single from Eli Rials.
The Pitkin half of the fourth inning began with a lead-off single from Lockhart and a bunt from Cullen Martin. Thomas, the Warrior pitcher, had control problems with three wild pitches that led to Tiger runs. He loaded the bases on walks to Wisby and Johnson before Holt delivered a two-run single to make it 6-3, Tigers. Pitkin scored three runs on only two hits and three wild pitches.
Family Community sent Braxton Poindexter to the mound in the fifth inning. He was greeted with a pair of singles before getting out of the jam.
The Warriors turned it up a notch in the top of the sixth with three straight singles that chased Pitkin starting pitcher Lincoln Stephens. Gage James took the Tiger mound. A long, wind-aided single plated one run, but James picked off a runner at first and got a called third strike and a pop-up to limit the damage to one run, 9-4.
Pitkin hit that magic number of three again in the bottom of the sixth. Johnson led off with a single before Wisby plated him with a hit-and-run double for a 7-4 lead. Farmer hit into another fielder’s choice but got the RBI for an 8-4 edge. James drove in the final run with a single. James had four hits on the day with two RBI’s.
Family Community did not go away quietly in the top of the seventh. A single and two walks forced Coach JC Holt into a pitching change. Cullen Martin took the bump and his sidearm delivery did not fool Tanner Lord, who hit a long single to the wall to cut the lead to 9-5. Dunn hit a sacrifice fly to make it 9-6 before Martin induced a pair of pop ups to end the game.
Pitkin won the 14th state title in school history. They have won two of the last three titles under Coach JC Holt. Freshman Gavin Holt was named MVP of the Class B tournament. Pitkin totaled nine runs on fourteen hits. Family Community also had fourteen hits, as they suffered their third straight loss in the finals.