Demons done

By David Miller
The Duncan Banner

BROKEN ARROW May 12, 2008 11:58 am

— The Duncan Demons’ state tournament run came to an end Friday after an 11-6 loss to defending state champs Carl Albert.
Duncan got an unlucky draw in the nightcap, facing a Titans’ squad that was upset by Bixby 3-2 just over an hour before facing the Demons.
Carl Albert used a six-run fifth inning to pull away from a scrappy DHS unit that pulled to within a run in the top of the inning on an RBI-single from Tyler King and a passed-ball run from Cody Bennett.
King, who took the loss in his last high school outing, was rocked for five runs in the fifth before being replaced by Tyler Gay.
After recording two outs in the first inning, King and the Demons surrendered four runs before allowing just one over the next three. King went four innings, giving up nine runs on eight hits to go along with five strikeouts.
“With two outs in the first inning, we should have never given up four runs,” Duncan head coach Darren Briggs said. “Tyler throws 30 pitches in that inning, but he was able to keep us in the game after that. We got to within a run, then they have the big fifth inning. They’re the defending state champions, but we proved we belong up here.”
Trent Wilkins led Duncan at the plate, going 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs. King went 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs.
Duncan finishes the season at 26-10, with a regional championship added to the case and some valuable post-season experience for a young team.
“We lose probably the best high school athlete I’ve ever been around in Trent Wilkins, our ace pitcher (Tyler King), Bryce (Davis), who was a big target at first and our shortstop (Justin Rucker), but we have a bunch of freshmen and sophomores that played a bunch this year,” Briggs said. “For the guys that are coming back, they know what to expect out of themselves next year.
“They have a taste of what it’s like to play in the state tournament and that is what I’m really happy for. They have nothing to hang their heads about. This was a great season.”

Bishop Kelley 5, Duncan 3 The Duncan Demons arguably played their most efficient game of the year Friday against the Bishop Kelley Comets, giving up just one error behind a complete game from pitcher Jacob Russell, but a seventh-inning rally fell short as the Demons lost 5-3 to go the losers bracket of the Class 5A state tournament.
With Randal Snider at third, who was courtesy running for Bryce Davis, and Trent Wilkins at second, Cody Bennett struck out on three pitches to end the Demons’ hopes of a comeback.
The 5-3 score was a far cry from the 14-3 rout the Comets handed the Demons during the McAlester Tournament, a game where just five of Kelley’s 14 runs were earned.
“We fielded the ball much better today, but they (Bishop Kelley) made the hits they needed to win,” Duncan head coach Darren Briggs said. “Jacob pitched well and kept us in the game, but we left five guys on base and four in scoring position. The difference was they got their guys around and we didn’t.”
Cody Bennett opened the scoring in the bottom of the first when he crossed home on Kale Thaxton’s ground out, before Kelley answered in the second with a solo shot to left from Tyler Thalken.
The pivotal inning was the third, when Axel Johnson hit a two-run homer to right and Jack Kerr hit an RBI single to score Matt Reynolds.
Comets’ pitcher Joseph Richards, who went seven innings and gave up three earned on eight hits, struck out six over the next four innings with a combination of breaking balls and change-ups.
“We were out in front of a lot of his pitches, and some of our guys just weren’t making the adjustments,” Briggs said. “We weren’t sitting back and driving the ball, and we ended up capping off a lot of them with slow ground balls.”
After Bishop Kelley’s three-run third inning, Russell settled in and surrendered just one run on four hits over the next four innings. Russell gave up five runs on 10 hits to go along with a walk and a strikeout.
The Comets added their fifth run in the sixth when Thalken, who had reached on a double and moved to third on a balk, was driven in on a single from Cameron O’Brien.
Duncan’s breakthrough appeared to come in the bottom of the sixth when a deep opposite field shot from Thaxton appeared to clear the left-field wall, but was ruled a ground-rule double after the ball went through the fence. Thaxton’s hit brought in Bennett and pulled the Demons within two, but Tyler Wilkins and Russell grounded out and flied out, respectively, to end the inning.
Lead-off hitter Trent Wilkins went 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles for Duncan, who played Carl Albert at 6:30 p.m. in an elimination game.

Bishop Kelley 5, Duncan 3BK 013 001 0 – 5 10 1
DHS 101 001 0 – 3 8 1

BK – Joseph Richards and Cameron O’Brien. DHS – Jacob Russell and Tyler Wilkins. W – Richards. L – Russell. 2B – BK: Matt Reynolds, Ryan Sullivan and Tyler Thalken; DHS: Trent Wilkins (2), Tyler King ad Kale Thaxton. 3B: None. HR— BK: Axel Johnson and Thalken; DHS: None

Carl Albert 11, Duncan 6DHS 011 022 0 — 6 10 1
CA 410 060 x — 11 10 1

CA — Brennan Murphy, Robbie Witt (6), Robert Kizer (7) and Gatlin Arnold. DHS (26-10) — Tyler King, Tyler Gay (5) and Tyler Wilkins. W — Murphy. L — King. 2B — DHS: Trent Wilkins and Bryce Davis; CA: Dillon Andrews, Jared Porter, J.T. Realmuto (2). 3B — None. HR — None.

Photos

DHS’ Bryce Davis attempts to catch a runner stealing second base Friday against Carl Albert.