The Oxford Baseball team finished third out of four teams at the Lake Orion Invitational on Sat., 17, losing to the Dragons in the first game and beating the South Lake Cavaliers in the consolation game.
Against Lake Orion, starting pitcher Ryan Stull pitched two innings, giving up only two runs before being relieved by junior Kyle Oliver to start the bottom of the third. Stull went on to play first base for the remainder of the game.
Senior shortstop Bryan Mattack got things moving for the Cats with a lead off single at the top of the fourth inning. Mattack was driven home by an RBI single off the bat of Stull, who also scored later in the inning when a pick-off attempt led to an overthrow at third base.
However, the Dragons then began to breathe fire on their home turf, scoring five unanswered runs in the bottom of the inning to drive the score up to 7-2. Oliver and the Wildcats were able to stifle the offense in the fifth, as the Dragons went three up, three down, but the damage was already done.
The Dragons went on to score two more runs in the sixth inning with a two-run homer. The Cats ended up losing the contest by a 9-2 final.
The consolation game against the South Lake Cavaliers brought better fortune for the Oxford boys though, with Mattack starting on the mound.
Mattack pitched a complete game, leading the Wildcats to a 6-3 victory, despite giving up a single to the first batter he faced. No damage was done in the top of the first, as third baseman Dave Fisher turned a beautiful double play to end the inning.
In the bottom half, the Wildcats got on the board first when centerfielder Steve Flores scored from third on a balk, putting the Cats up 1-0. Flores would score again in the bottom of the third on a bases loaded walk.
Oxford thought they had a few more runs with the bases loaded when catcher Brad Dugan flied to center, forcing the South Lake centerfielder to make a spectacular diving catch to end the inning, leaving three runners stranded. The Cavaliers scored all three of their runs in the top of the fourth, scoring on three different RBI base hits to pull ahead 3-2.
However, Steve Flores came to the rescue again, providing an RBI double to drive home Tim Shafto in the bottom of the inning, bringing the score to a tie. In the next inning, Fisher and Dugan hit two consecutive triples to put the Cats in the driver’s seat. A sacrifice fly and a bases-loaded walk brought a final score of 6-3 with Oxford on top.
Lake Orion went on to win the tournament, crushing the Dakota Cougars in the championship game 11-1. Oxford’s next game will be Thurs., April 22 against the Flint-Kearsley Yellowjackets. The first pitch will be thrown at 4:00 P.M. at the Wildcats? home field.
Mike Stechschulte is a junior at Oxford High School who plans to major in the field of journalism.