MORAN — An up-and-down 2024 baseball campaign is trending in the right direction for Marmaton Valley High.
The Wildcats, who dropped their first seven games of the season, have experienced the other side of the coin, including Thursday’s doubleheader sweep over visiting St. Paul.
Marmaton Valley rolled to 11-0 and 17-5 victories, extending the Wildcats’ winning streak to four and an 8-3 record over their past 11 games.
“When we play at the level we’re capable of, we can be an extremely competitive team,” Marmaton Valley head coach Adam Borth said.
Take Thursday’s sweep.
Sophomore Tyler Lord did a little bit of everything in spearheading the victory.
He pitched a five-inning, complete game, striking out seven and walking one.
Lord aided his own cause at the plate, going 3-for-3 with a double and a team-high three RBIs. Lord also walked and scored twice.
“Tyler’s been on the last couple of weeks,” Borth said. “He sees what can happen, what we can do and what we’re capable of. He’s really stepped into his role of helping us move forward and be successful.”
Lord led things off with a first-inning double, moved to third on Dominic Smith’s grounder and stole home for a 1-0 lead.
The lead grew to 2-0 in the second when Garrett Morrison drew a leadoff walk. He promptly stole second and third and scored on Brendon Newman’s RBI grounder.
The fun hit high gear in the third. Daniel Fewins smacked a one-out double before Brevyn Campbell walked. Kele Michael followed with a run-scoring double. Morrison singled, stole second and scored on Brendon Newman’s single. Lord followed with an RBI single, Brayden Lawson drove in a run when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and Fewins capped the rally with a two-run single to make it 9-0.
Lord put the finishing touches in the fourth with his two-run single.
Fewins also went 3-for-3 with a double and two RBIs. Morrison and Smith both singled twice. Michael added a double; Newman a single. Andie Carr chipped in with a walk and run scored.
ST. PAUL had few answers in Game 2.
Lord was hit by a pitch to lead off the first before Smith tripled him in for the first run. Fewins and Lawson followed with RBI singles, making it 3-0. Mason Ferguson tacked on two more runs with a single to drive in Lawson and Morrison.
Fewins doubled in a run in the second and scored on Michael’s ground-out for a 7-0 advantage.
The Indians notched a pair of runs in the top of the third, but it did little to slow Marmaton Valley’s momentum.
Newman drove in a run with a single, Lord followed with an RBI grounder and Smith doubled in Newman to make it 10-2. Lawson followed two batters later with an RBI single before Morrison smacked a two-run triple.
Lord’s two-run double, Smith’s RBI single and Michael’s sac fly capped the scoring in the fifth.
