Preston improves to 5-0
The Preston Pirate varsity spring baseball program improved to 5-0 on the year with a 15-0 road win Monday evening at Varnum.
The Pirates (ranked 5th in Class 2A) did most of their offensive damage in Monday’s rout of the host Varnum Whippets in the first inning, erupting for 11 runs in the frame.
The Preston diamond squad closed out the 15-run performance with a 4-run second with the game ending on the run rule after the conclusion of the third inning.
The Pirates closed out the week at the Drumright Baseball Tournament, beginning play at the 3-day event Thursday at 6:15 p.m. against the Frontier Mustangs.
A win over the Mustangs on Thursday will put the Preston squad into Friday’s semifinal round at 4 p.m. against the winner of Thursday’s opening- round meeting between the Mounds Golden Eagles and the Depew Hornets, who kicked off the tournament Thursday at 11 a.m.
The other first-round games Thursday at Drumright saw the host Drumright Tornados square off against the Pawnee Black Bears at 1:15 p.m. and the Stroud Tigers take on the Woodland Cougars at 4 p.m.
A loss to Frontier on Thursday will drop the Pirates into Friday’s consolation semifinal round at 11 a.m. against the loser of Mounds and Depew.
The tournament championship game is scheduled for Saturday at 5:30 p.m. with the other game times on Saturday being 10:30 a.m. (7th place), 12:45 p.m. (consolation finals), and 3 p.m. (3rd place), respectively.
In Monday’s road shutout at Varnum, the Pirates scattered 10 hits in the 3-inning contest, led by the duo of Kellen Dean (3 for 3, single, 2 doubles, 3 RBIs) and Kaden Dean (3 for 3, 3 doubles, 3 RBIs) with three hits apiece.
The other four Preston base hits at Varnum came on a double by Hunter McElhannon, RBI singles by Noah Wilson and Waylon Cope, and an RBI double by Jayden Herring.
Three pitchers combined for a 2-hit shutout on Monday, beginning with Easton Shaw, allowing one hit and striking out one in one inning of work.
Herring worked a scoreless inning of relief in the second, striking out two and walking one, while not allowing a base hit, while Braxton Kennedy gave up one hit and struck out two in his scoreless inning of relief in the third.
— Preston 15, Varnum 0
Preston: 11 – 4 – 0 15 – 10 – 0 Varnum:0-0-0 0-2-5 WP: Braxton Kennedy LP: Suarez HR: None
