Lack drives in Dover game winner
Trypp Lack’s sacrifice fly delivered Dover its first win in the fall baseball state tournament in nearly 20 years.
Lack lifted a fly ball deep enough to right field to score A.J. Avila from third base to give the Longhorns a 3-2 walk-off victory Thursday in the Class B state quarterfinals in Seminole.
The win moved Dover into Friday’s semifinals (after press time) against No. 1 Fort Cobb-Broxton.
It was Dover’s first quarterfi nal win in the fall since 2008 when the Longhorns beat Arnett 10-5.
This was just Dover’s third trip back to state since that season.
Dover struck early by manufacturing a run in the bottom of the first inning.
Casen Buck led off with a single, moved to second on Brok Cooper’s sacrifice bunt and then scored on Lack’s single.
The Longhorns added another run in the second when Daxx Compton drew a walk and stole both second and third.
The junior scored on Ethan Dayton’s single and Dover led 2-0.
It appeared that would be plenty for Buck.
The senior allowed only two hits through five innings as the seventh-ranked Pirates struggled to solve him.
They started to make some headway in the sixth.
Jackson O’Kelley and Heston Nolen got backto- back one-out hits and after a strikeout, the Longhorns intentionally walked Easton Smith to load the bases.
It didn’t pay off as Buck walked home a run.
That pulled the Pirates within 2-1 as Dover’s bats had been kept quiet since the third inning.
The Longhorns again couldn’t add to it in the bottom of the sixth, leaving Moss just three more outs to try to extend the game.
The Pirates did it. Tate Keese doubled with one out and then O’Kelley delivered big with a twoout double to score Keese and tie the game.
Dover skipper Pete Voth brought in Lack to record the final out, which he did via the strikeout.
In the bottom of the seventh, Avila walked with one out and the Pirates opted to intentionally walk Buck.
Cooper laid a bunt down the third base line and legged out the single to load the bases.
That set up Lack’s game winner.
Dover managed six hits off Gauge Lockhart, who struck out four Longhorns and walked three.
Lack was the lone Longhorn with multiple hits.
Buck surrendered just six hits as well and struck out nine batters.
Fort Cobb took care of Vici 12-2 in its opener.
Other quarterfinal games saw third-ranked Calumet beat No. 4 Leedey 11-1 and No. 2 Tupelo edge ninth-ranked Drummond 2-1.
Dover, ranked fifth, and Fort Cobb played once this season as the Mustangs grabbed a 9-1 victory.
They took a 30-4 record into the semifinals while Dover was 25-6.