Published: July 04, 2009 11:55 pm         

Enid Majors outlast Woodward

The Enid Majors managed enough offense to hold off the pesky Woodward Travelers 14-6 Saturday in the Fourth of July Tournament at David Allen Memorial Ballpark.

The Majors (23-11) took a 7-0 lead with five runs in the fifth after being mostly subdued in the first four innings. Travelers starter Chance Beck allowed only three hits in the first three innings, but it all came unraveled when Zach Gonzalez and Seth Floyd came around to score on a throwing error with two outs in the fourth.

Beck was pulled with one out in the fifth after absorbing four earned runs in the inning. He took the loss.

Majors starter Seth Sturgeon earned the victory, despite giving up four earned runs in the sixth. He scattered eight hits, struck out seven and didn’t allow a walk in 5 2/3 innings of work.

Woodward pulled to within 9-6 after the sixth, but Enid added five insurance runs in the seventh to salt the game away.

The Majors’ victory sets up a potentially messy race for the tournament title. The tournament concludes today.

The Enid Area AAA is alone at the top of the standings with a 3-0 record after it defeated Ponderosa (Colo.) Saturday, and it has a chance to capture the outright title with a victory over the Travelers today at 5:30 p.m.

The Travelers and the Majors area both 2-1.If both teams win today, there will be a three-way tie for the title. The Majors face Ponderosa at 1 p.m.

Enid kept itself in the title hunt thanks to Sturgeon’s solid pitching performance and another offensive explosion, which has been a common occurrence so far in the tournament.

The Majors, who had averaged 14 hits in two tournament games entering Saturday, managed 17 more against the Travelers. Only one — a sixth-inning RBI double for Gonzalez — went for extra bases.

After scoring the game’s first run in the fourth, Gonzalez delivered a two-run single in the fifth, which brought home Eddie Cervantes and Nick Rountree. Gonzalez finished 3-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored.

Zach Sell also delivered a two-run single in the fifth, bringing home Gonzalez and Floyd. Tom Ward scored on a wild pitch.

After Enid extended its lead to 9-1 in the top of the sixth, Woodward retaliated with five runs in the bottom half of the inning.

Miguel Salcido led off with a double to right field, followed by a pair of singles off the bats of Dylan Weber and Kevin Hajny. Sturgeon struck out the next two hitters he faced, but a Tyler Overton hit loaded the bases and prompted Majors head coach Bill Mayberry to call in reliever Eddie Cervantes.

Nine-hole hitter Ryan Roulet delivered a two-run double, and Ryan Dunlavy followed with a two-run single to make the score 9-6.

The Enid Area AAA beat Ponderosa 14-6 Saturday while the Enid AAAs lost to the Majors’ split squad 6-4.

AREA AAA 14, PONDEROSA 6

The Area AAAs rallied back from an early 4-0 deficit to raise its tournament record to 3-0.

Chase Kokojan, after allowing four runs in the first, did not allow a hit until the sixth.

He allowed five hits and struck out six in six innings of work. Kokojan is now 2-3 overall.

“He pitched very well,’’ said Area coach Eric Sunderland.

Matt Regier led the Area attack, going 3-for-5 with two doubles and two RBI. Cody Austin was 3-for-5 with an RBI. Cody Coats was 2-for-3 with 3 RBI while Tyson Hiebert was 2-for-4 with a double and 4 RBI.

Andrew Spurrier had an RBI double.

“We hit the ball really well,’’ said Sunderland. “The kids just chipped away after we got behind early. They showed a lot of discipline at the plate and we took advantage of the mistakes they made.’’

Spurrier will be on the mound when the Area AAAs face Woodward at 5:30 p.m. today.

ENID (ss) 6, ENID AAA 4

Tobin Mateychick had a double and a triple as the Majors’ split squad beat the Enid AAAs. The AAAs (16-10) will not be playing today.

Joe Black had a RBI triple in a losing cause while Eric Ramirez and Kaleb Hulva had RBI singles.

Mike Phillips took the loss on the mound.

Dylan Nave had a double for the winners. Jaxson Johnson pitched the first four innings for the split squad while Seth Floyd threw the last.

“We played all right,’’ said AAA coach Scott Baugh.



BOULDER (COLO.) 5, MANHATTAN (KAN.) 2



Boulder scored three runs in the fifth to take a 4-2 lead and added the insurance run in the sixth.

Boulder finished the tournament with a 2-2 record, and Manhattan was one game left against the Enid split squad today at 3:15 p.m.





MAJORS 14, WOODWARD 6



Majors Woodward

Nave lf 5 1 1 0 Dunlvy cf 4 0 2 2

Crvnts dh p 5 2 3 1 Long ss 4 0 0 0

Rntree c 2 3 1 0 Salcido lf 4 1 1 0

Ward 3b 3 3 2 0 Weber dh 3 1 2 0

Gonzlz 1b 4 2 3 3 Hajny 2b 4 1 3 1

Floyd ss 4 2 3 3 McDnld c 3 0 0 0

Sell rf 4 0 2 2 Craig ph 1 0 0 0

Padilla 2b 4 0 1 1 Lewis 3b 3 0 0 0

Nault cf 3 1 1 0 Carlisle ph 1 0 0 0

Overton 1b 3 1 1 0

Roulet rf 3 2 2 2

Totals 34 14 17 10 Totals 33 6 11 5



Majors 000 252 5 - 14

Woodward 000 015 0 - 6



E—Lewis, Floyd. DP—Woodward. LOB—Woodward 7, Majors 7. 2B—Hajny, Salcido, Roulet (2), Gonzalez. SB—Floyd. CS—Ward.



IP H R ER BB SO

Woodward

Beck L 4 1/3 7 6 4 3 5

Tuck 1 2/3 4 3 3 1 2

Johnson 1/3 3 5 4 2 0

Beisel 2/3 1 0 0 0 1

Majors

Sturgeon W 5 2/3 8 5 5 0 7

Cervantes 1 1/3 3 1 1 1 2



WP—Beck, Tuck, Beisel, Sturgeon (2). HBP—Ward by Tuck, Nault by Johnson.