WILBURTON — MacArthur baseball’s trip to the east side of the state hasn’t gone according to plan.
The Highlanders entered the the East/West Showdown with a 22-2 record, but they have now more than doubled the number in the loss column.
After suffering a 7-6 loss in walk-off fashion to Durant in the first game of the round robin format on Thursday, Mac fell again in an 11-3 decision to Claremore later that night.
Bishop Kelley gave the Highlanders a similar treatment, handing coach Rodney DeLong’s squad its third-straight loss, 13-1, in four innings on Friday afternoon. Mac played another game late last night against McAlester, but no score was available at press time.
“We got off to a bad start but didn’t play bad (Thursday) against Claremore and Durant,” DeLong told The Constitution via text. “In fact, we had a chance to win both those games. Both of those teams really swing the bats well.”
Despite Mac losing by eight runs to the Zebras, the score might be misleading.
The Highlanders and Claremore were locked in a tight contest headed into the sixth inning, with the Zebras clinging to a 4-3 lead. However, Mac was unable to keep the margin from widening.
Claremore rallied off seven runs in the bottom of the sixth, handing the Highlanders their second-straight in the process. Trey Longacre recorded the loss on the mound, allowing six hits and nine runs, all earned, with only four strikeouts.
Racer Felter led Mac at the plate, finishing 2-for-3 with a solo home run. Michelle Artzberger tallied two RBIs himself, driving in both of the Highlanders’ runs in the fifth inning to cut the deficit to 4-3.
Seven batters recorded hits for Claremore, led by Trevor Janzen (2-for-3, 2 RBI and one run) and Garrett Wood (2-for-3, 1 RBI). Koby Penny earned the win despite allowing four hits and three runs to only two strikeouts.
Mac led 1-0 after the first inning.
Despite the game versus Bishop Kelley beginning in a similar manner, the Comets created separation much quicker than Claremore.
The teams were tied at one after the first, but Bishop Kelley’s bats caught fire in the second, leading to six runs to give the Comets an untimely 7-1 advantage. The Highlanders never managed to recover from the nightmarish inning, going scoreless the remainder of the game.
The lone run came on a Jake Smith single in the first, scoring Longacre.
Zac DeLong was credited with the loss on the mound, allowing seven runs on five hits with no strikeouts through two innings. Aeron Woodson had a similar performance in relief, giving up six runs on four hits with no strikeouts.
Joel Christner led the Comets at the plate with a 3-for-3 outing with 3 RBIs. Jordan Redman went 2-for-3 with two runs batted in.
Ben Gross was awarded the win for Bishop Kelley, tallying three strikeouts while allowing four hits and one run.
Mac was outhit by a count of 9-4 in both games.
Despite the disappointing outcomes, DeLong said he remains confident in his team’s ability.
“Overall, I’m not that down about our performance,” DeLong said. “Nearly all these teams will be in the state tournament. Highlevel, quality teams.”
Mac returns to district action with a home contest against Duncan at 5 p.m. on Monday.