BASEBALL: Claremore sneaks past Skiatook, blanks Sequoyah in Tiger/Zebra Classic sweep

Claremore showed two different versions of itself in winning twice Friday. The Zebras leaned on late-game execution to edge Skiatook, then turned around and overwhelmed Sequoyah with pitching depth and a decisive scoring burst, completing a doubleheader sweep at Legendary Legion Field at Murray-Pixley Park. GAME 1: CLAREMORE 5, SKIATOOK 4 With the game hanging in the balance, Brayden Floyd’s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the sixth proved to be the difference, lifting Claremore to a 5-4 win after a back-and-forth battle.

Floyd finished with 2 RBIs, including the game-winner, while also closing the door on the mound with 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief. Ryder Garrison kept the Zebras steady early, striking out 6 over 5 1/3 innings, and Tyler Osgood added a key 2-RBI single in the decisive third inning. Claremore struck first in the third.

After two quick outs, Jax Van Valkenburg singled and came around when Floyd ripped a triple to center, scoring Lucas Dupont for a 1-0 lead. Moments later, Evan Jameson’s aggressive baserunning and a wild pitch pushed the advantage to 2-0 before Osgood lined a single to center to plate another run for a 3-0 cushion. The Bulldogs answered in the fourth with a flurry of small-ball execution.

A single, bunt hits and a bases-loaded walk scored their first run. A sacrifice fly by Bryson Earp cut it to 3-2, and an error tied the game at 3 before the Zebras escaped with a runner thrown out at home. Claremore regained the lead in the fifth when Jameson singled, advanced on a walk and sacrifice, and scored on Braden Trail’s RBI groundout to make it 4-3.