Chalk up 2 more quality W’s for Warriors

It wasn’t deja vu, but it was close.

Okarche got a pair of wins early last week against a pair of perennial contenders in their respective classes.

And it was a pair of familiar foes.

Okarche downed Fort Cobb-Broxton 5-3 at home on Monday, then traveled to Dale on Tuesday and prevailed 5-4.

The Warriors beat both of those teams the previous week in winning the Dale Tournament.

In a championship game rematch against the Pirates, Okarche let a three-run lead get away before prevailing.

After the Pirates committed a pair of errors in the top of the sixth inning, Lane Rother’s RBI fielder’s choice put the visitors up 4-1.

But the Pirates came charging back in the bottom of the frame.

Denton Forsythe made it a one-run game with a two-run shot off of Luke Hill.

After Hill recorded a strikeout, Dale collected three consecutive hits, including a game-tying RBI single by A.J. Carpenter.

The Warriors headed to the seventh in a tie game and that inning started the way the first one did.

Hill led off with a double and scored when Easton Roby followed with a double of his own.

The two accomplished that feat in the top of the first and then Brett Carnott followed with a two-run homer for a quick 3-0 Okarche lead.

It stayed 3-0 until the fifth inning when Hunter Watkins got a solo homer to pull the Pirates with two runs.

Okarche threatened to score more in the seventh, but had to settle for the lone run.

It was enough as Ethan Kirby sat down the Pirates in order in the bottom half, including a pair of strikeouts.

Hill went 5 2/3 innings, gave up eight hits and four earned runs while striking out five.

Kirby pitched 1 1/3 innings without surrendering a hit.

Okarche collected eight hits as a team with six coming from the top of the order.

Hill, Roby and Carnott had two hits apiece. Roby and Carnott both drove in two runs while Hill scored twice.

The Warriors held off a late rally by Fort Cobb to win on Monday.

Down 5-1, the Mustangs collected three hits and walked twice in the top of the seventh to score a pair of runs and threatened to score more.

They had the bases loaded before Cy Collamore coaxed a groundout to end the game and earn the save.

Roby kept the visitors quiet much of the day.

He did give up a run in the first inning, but nothing else over his four full innings of work. Roby struck out six and walked two.

He turned it over to Kirby, who pitched 2 2/3 innings. He gave up one hit and two earned runs.

Fort Cobb held a 1-0 lead until the fifth inning when Okarche plated all of its runs.

Two hit batters and a walk loaded the bases for Collamore, who made the Mustangs pay with a threerun triple.

He was followed by Hill’s single and both players scored on Roby’s base hit.

Hill had two of Okarche’s five hits in the game.

The two wins pushed the Warriors to 6-0 as they traveled to this weekend’s Oktaha Tournament.