Warriors pick up 3 wins on GSA trip

Okarche’s baseball team traveled nearly 900 miles one way to take part in the Gulf Shores Classic over Spring Break.

Ironically, the Warriors’ lone loss in the Alabama- based event came to a team 57 miles from home.

Okarche went 3-1 over a three-day span as they beat Sipsey Valley 3-0, Alabama Christian Academy 4-3 and Trinity Presbyterian 5-1.

All three of those schools are from Alabama.

The loss, in Okarche’s final game of the tournament, was a 6-5 setback to Norman North, a Class 6A school that also made the trip from Oklahoma.

Grady Terrell and Cody Endres combined for the shutout of Sipsey Valley last Monday.

Terrell did the bulk of the work with 6 1/3 innings and gave up just two hits while striking out five.

Endres struck out the only two batters he faced.

They got all the support they’d need in the bottom of the first when Brett Carnott singled and later scored on an error.

Okarche plated two more in the fifth when Luke Hill reached and scored on a wild pitch and Carnott’s sacrifice fly scored Easton Roby.

The Warriors had just three hits in the game - one each by Roby, Carnott and Cy Collamore.

The Warriors held off a late-charging Alabama Christian Academy on Tuesday.

The Eagles scored all of their runs in the sixth and seventh innings.

They had the tying run on second and go-ahead run on first in the top of the seventh before Collamore coaxed a fly out to end the game.

Okarche garnered a 1-0 lead in the first when Carnott’s single brought home Roby.

Jett Mueggenborg was able to reach on a dropped third strike with two outs in the third. As he was legging out a throw, Hill scored on the play for a 2-0 lead.

After Alabama Christian cut it to 2-1 in the top of the sixth, the Warriors added some insurance in the bottom half.

Jake Henderson sent Colin Hendrickson home with a single and Lane Rother scored on a wild pitch as the lead grew to 4-1.

Collamore had given up just two hits through six innings before the Eagles were able to collect three off him in the seventh.

He was aided by a double play in the last frame as he struck out eight and walked five over his seven innings.

Only one of the three runs scored against him was earned.

Henderson had two of Okarche’s seven hits in the game.

Hill’s bat came alive in the victory against Trinity Presbyterian.

The senior leadoff man went 3 for 4 with an RBI and 3 runs scored.

That included an insidethe- park home run to push Okarche to a 4-0 lead in the second inning.

That was more than enough support for Roby, who gave up three hits and an earned run over seven innings. He struck out nine while walking one.

Carnott, Henderson and Hendrickson each drove in a run.

Norman North was able to score three runs in the top of the six to regain a lead against Okarche and make it stick.

The Warriors were down 2-0 before erupting for all five runs in the third inning.

Roby tripled home a pair of runs and was followed by an RBI double off the bat of Carnott and a run-scoring single by Henderson for a 4-2 advantage.

Mueggenborg added an RBI single for a 5-2 lead.

The Timberwolves pieced together three hits and took advantage of a pair of walks to take back the lead in the sixth.

Hill took the loss with six innings of work. He gave up nine hits and five earned runs. He also struck out nine batters.

Endres pitched the final frame.

Mueggenborg was 3 for 3 and Roby 2 for 4 in the game.

Okarche (6-1) started this week ranked No. 1 in Class A-I. The Warriors traveled to Class B No. 1 Calumet on Tuesday (after press time). Both teams won their respective state titles in the fall.