Published: May 01, 2008 11:34 am            

Ada strolls to first-round win

Ada — A year ago, Tulsa Hale came into a 5A Regional Tournament at Cougar Field and knocked top-seeded Ada right smack into the loser’s bracket with a 2-1 upset victory.

This year’s Ada Cougars made sure history wouldn’t repeat itself.

Coach Ronny Johns watched as his team put 10 runs on the scoreboard in the bottom of the first and cruised past overmatched Tulsa Central 18-0 in the five-inning, first-round run-rule.

“We got beat by the four-seed last year and that was fresh on those guys’ minds,” Johns said. “They understand that you have to be ready to play and we were. We did a good job.”

In other games Wednesday at Cougar Field, Skiatook upset No. 12 Durant 7-2 but the Lions stayed alive by eliminating Tulsa Central 24-3.

No. 7 Ada and Skiatook meet today at 4 p.m. in a winner’s bracket contest while Durant will await the loser at 6:30 p.m. Friday’s championship contest is slated for 4 p.m.

Ada 18, Tulsa Central 0

The Cougars' big first inning started when Brendan Barr became the first of five Ada players to be hit by a pitch in the contest. Riley Keith followed by blasting his 15th home run that just stayed fair down the left field line to put the hosts on top 2-0.

Brett Walls then walked — the first of eight free passes issued by Tulsa Central hurlers Kayton Campbell, Tyler Bettis and David Sakariason — and promptly stole second and third. Spencer Penrod’s base hit to left field made it 3-0.

Preston Dye walked and Parker Patton was beaned to load the bases before a walk to Jesse Cashman forced in a run. Nine-hole hitter Caleb Caudle, who hadn’t had an extra base hit all season, then peppered a 1-2 pitch past Tulsa Central center fielder Curtis Williams for a bases-clearing triple that put the Cougars in front 7-0. Caudle would score on a double by Keifer Truett — a blast that clanged off the top of the tall wall in left field and just missed being a home run by about a foot — to make it 8-0.

Keith then hit a hard shot into the teeth of a nasty wind blowing in from right field that would have been a home run on a calmer day but dropped in for an RBI double, and he later scored Ada’s 10th run on a wild pitch.

The 10-run cushion was more than enough for Cashman, who got the rare start after being used mostly as a middle reliever this spring for the Cougars. He made the most of his outing, dominating the Braves for most of the five-inning affair. In fact, after allowing a leadoff single by Juan Perez, Cashman retired 14 of the final 16 hitters he faced. One runner reached on Ada’s only error of the game, and Cashman walked Williams to lead off the third. Williams provided Tulsa Central with its biggest scoring threat of the contest when he stole second and third with only one out, but Cashman stranded him when he got Perez to pop out to shortstop and struck out Jon Townsend. Cashman would finish the game strong, striking out six of the final seven Tulsa Central batters, including the last five in a row. He finished with 10 strikeouts while improving to 2-1 on the spring.

Cashman helped his own cause by ripped a two-RBI single up the middle in Ada’s four-run second inning.

Johns send mostly reserves to plate in the bottom of the fourth and five of the new AHS players either scored a run or got a hit. Tyler Crosby had the only RBI hit of the four-run Ada volley but Dillon Phillips and Alex Winton were hit with the bases loaded while Caudle walked with the bases full.

“We just came out and put some runs up and did what you are supposed to do,” Johns said. “Jesse went out and threw strikes just like we asked him to do.”

Keith would move over the .500 batting mark for the season with a perfect 3-for-3 outing that included the home run, two doubles and three RBIs. Caudle contributed a pair of hits in Ada’s 10-hit attack.

Tulsa Central reliever Tyler Bettis showed good toughness. He was limping noticeably when he took the hill in the bottom of the second and tweaked his leg on a swing at the plate in the top of the third. Despite having to be helped to (and from) the mound by teammate Sakariason, he pitched a scoreless bottom of the third for the Braves before finally leaving the game.

        

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