TIGER TUNE UP: THS baseball grabs some wins, district awards in final week of regular season

Before the playoffs officially start, Tahlequah baseball got some momentum with a pair of wins under its belt.

The Tigers opened the week with the bats clicking for a 12-0 win on the road at Summit Christian, Tuesday, April 28. Two days later, Thursday, April 30, they turned around and saw all three phases of the game come together for a 2-1 win at home over the Oktaha Tigers on Senior Night.

Picking up the pair of wins is key for momentum heading into the postseason on the horizon.

“I’ve told them a 100 times I think we can play with anyone if we play like that,” THS head coach Matt Cloud said. “Our focus this week was staying loose because what do we have to lose? We played loose all week, and they had a good time; the looser they play, the better they are.”

Throughout the season, Cloud has been saying that if they can play well in two of the three aspects of the game — pitching, hitting and defense — they can beat anyone. With one of the most solid lineups in the district, the hitting has been there with the pitching and defense developing throughout the season.

8S4A1257.JPG

Short stop Cutter Girdner, right, high fives Will Talburt after the third baseman recorded a put out to end an inning.

THS boasts a strong infield with seniors Cutter Girdner at shortstop and Kael Carey at first base. Junior Will Talburt and freshman Dustin Duvall man second and third base when they aren’t pitching and switch out with sophomore Kohlson Caldwell.

“I really believe we will play with anyone if we can pitch and play defense,” Cloud said. “We know we can get timely hits at the plate.”

The win against Oktaha is a strong precursor to the playoffs for the Tigers. Coming into the game, OHS was ranked No. 6 in Class 2A-I and is expected to make a splash in its state-tournament bracket.

Despite playing the lower-level team, it was a good test for the Tigers, who scored 2 runs in the first inning and had to hang tight for the next six.

“I saw some resilience; they made some tough plays, and that’s what we are looking for,” Cloud said. “If the pitcher makes a mistake, they make a play behind him — that’s what we’ve been after this year.”

The Tigers open the playoffs Wednesday, May 6 against Shawnee at Bishop Kelley.

“If we can get through the first game, we think we can make a splash,” Cloud said. “I think we can relax and not get uptight that we’ll be okay.”

A day after the regular season ended, Friday, May 1, the Tigers were well-represented in the District 5A-4 end-of-season awards.

On the first team were seniors catcher Sampson, Carey, Girdner, juniors Talburt and Michael Torkelson and freshman utility player Duvall. Junior right fielder Kael Dobbins was named an honorable mention.

8S4A1309.JPG

Kael Carey walks out on the field between his teammates during senior night festivities.