Senior Jessen Leathers clubbed a home run, a double and a single and drove in three runs to lead Stroud to an 8-3 win over Meeker in the 66 Conference tournament finals Saturday at Prague.
Stroud was up 2-0 in the bottom of the second with two outs and Cal Shields on first when Leathers hammered a 2-2 pitch over the fence in left field.
Although Stroud scored three more runs, the two that came across on Leathers’ homer were all the Tigers needed, as Stryker Bray threw a three-hitter and did not give up an earned run.
“He’s been swinging the bat really well the past few weeks,” said coach D.J. McEntyre said of Leathers. “I got here when Jessen was a sophomore and from day one he has been a strong leader.”
Leathers was 7-for-10 for the tournament with six RBI. He is one of four seniors on the team, which had won its last eight games, pending Monday’s scheduled game against Okemah, and 11 of its last 12.
The Tigers are ranked No. 10 in Class 2A-1 and got to the finals by beating Chandler 4-2, in the semifinals behind a three-hitter thrown by freshman Gideon Smalley.
After the win, their record stood at 16-5. “The last two years, our standard goals are to try to win 20 games, win the conference, win the regional and make it to the state tournament and try and win it,” McEntyre said. “We play a really, really tough schedule and I think it had us prepared. We had to go through some pretty good teams, but the boys played really well.
“We have a lot of really good players. We have veterans who have been part of the system for a couple of years now. We got a bunch of really good players up from our junior high this year and our coaching staff has done a phenomenal job preparing these guys.
“We’ve played six Top 5 teams, we’ve played nine Top 10 teams. We’ve seen a couple of Division 1 players. When you play that good of competition, that toughens you up and sharpens you and our guys just seem very well prepared.
“I think with this team, the sky’s the limit. We were one run away from being in the state tournament last year and had the tying and winning runs on second and third base.”
Stroud got on the board in the first inning when Cal Shields scored on an infield ground out by Smalley and a single by Bray that drove in Leathers, who had walked.
Leathers’ homer in the made it 4-0, but Meeker scored its first run in the top of the third when Brodey Manning and Bryce Bussell scored on errors.
The Dogs got one more in the top of the fourth when Bussell singled to center, driving in Titus Grimes, who had been hit by a pitch.
Stroud came back in the bottom of the fourth to score a run a run when Leathers singled to drive in Brayden Davis, who had been hit by a pitch.
The Tigers added another run in the fifth when Davis singled with two outs to drive in Gage Bailey, who had reached base on a lead-off single.
Leathers drove in a run in the bottom of the sixth, when he singled to score Shields and then scored the Tigers’ final run when Bailey singled him home.
Meeker had reached the championship game by beating Okemah, 8-1, in the opening round and McLoud, 15-3, in the semifinals.
The loss leaves the Dogs with a 16-9 record. They were back in action Monday with a home game against Henryetta.
The Dogs banged out 15 hits in the three-inning run rule win over McLoud. The hits included 14 singles and a three-run homer by Maverick Herring.
Caleb Heath had two of the hits and drove in three runs.
Stroud banged out 11 hits in the semifinal against Chandler. Leathers had three of the knocks and Bailey had two, including a double.
Rhett Haley and Landon Earp had singles for the Lions and Javarious Wade had a double.