Wildcats, Bishop Kelley Split
Posted March 9, 2014
Wildcats, Bishop Kelley Split
By DAVID MILLER
News Sports Editor
Showing strong pitching and
a solid defense, the Ponca City
Wildcats started their baseball
season with a split of a
doubleheader Friday night at
the Po-Hi baseball field.
The Wildcats opened their
campaign with the Bishop Kelley
Comets and after dropping
the opener 3-2, came back to
earn the split with a decisive
5-1 victory in the nightcap.
It was a night of strong pitching
performances by the Wildcat
hurlers. Austin Emmel
was the starting pitcher in the
first game and pitched five
good innings, allowing only
six hits to the Kelley batters.
Although Emmel was credited
with the loss, only two of the
three runs scored during his
stint on the hill were earned.
Coming in to pitch two hitless
innings of relief was Riley
Sells.
Wildcat pitchers struck out
seven of the Comet batters,
with Emmel getting four and
Sells three. There were only
three walks in the game.
In the nightcap, Sam Flowers
was the starter, and like
Emmel he completed five
innings. Flowers gave up only
one hit in his tenure. Dalton
Mazurier pitched the final two
innings and he retired all six
batters he faced.
There were seven strikeouts
in the second game, with Flowers
whiffing five and Mazurier
two. There were only two
walks in this game.
Chase Kurtz had two hits
in three at-bats in the second
game for the Wildcats,
singling in the first and sixth
innings.
The Wildcats scored twice
in the second inning of the
nightcap and after Kelley
had scored a run in the third,
responded with a third run in
the third inning. Ponca City
added single runs in the fifth
and sixth innings.
An error and a sacrifice fly
by Kurtz led to the two-run
second inning for the Wildcats.
Another Kelley error
led to a run in the third. Joey
Furber singled home a run in
the fifth inning.
And yet another error gave
the Wildcats their final run in
the sixth.
In the opener, Robert Nanni
hit a double and a home run
to lead the hitting effort for
Ponca City.
Bishop Kelley scored first
with a run in the fourth. Ponca
City responded with two runs
in the fifth and then Bishop
Kelley regained the lead with
two in the sixth.\
It was the first victory as
Ponca City’s head coach for
Drew Burris.
Burris was pleased with Friday’s
results.
“Overall we did some good
things,” he said. “Our pitching
and defense carried
us. The hitting was a little
behind, but that’s the way it
tends to be in this time of the
year. We expect the hitting to
catch up.”
He credited his pitching
staff of Emmel, Sells, Flowers
and Mazurier of doing the job
they were asked to do.
“They were throwing a lot of
strikes and not giving up a lot
of walks,” he said.
He also credited his coaching
staff with doing a good job
in getting the Wildcats ready
to play in the opening game.
And with the win being his
first in a Ponca City uniform,
he said it is special.
“It is one I’ll remember,”
he said.
The next outing for Ponca
City is scheduled Monday in
Enid. The Plainsmen will
come to Ponca City for a game
Tuesday starting at 5 p.m.
(First Game)
BISHOP KELLEY 3,
PONCA CITY 2
Kelley 000 102 0 — 3 6 0
Ponca 000 020 0 — 2 5 0
Ponca City: Austin Emmel, Riley Sells
(6) and Brian Wicker. L: Emmel 0-1.
2B: Robert Nanni (PC)
HR: Robert Nanni (PC)
(Second Game)
PONCA CITY 5,
BISHOP KELLEY 1
Kelley 001 000 0 — 0 1 9
Ponca 021 011 x — 5 5 2
Ponca City — Sam Flowers, Dalton
Mazurier (6) and Brian Wicker. W: Flowers
(1-0).