BASEBALL: Gaede shines, but late collapse sends Claremore to district loss vs. Collinsville
· Yahoo Sports
There wasn’t much Kellen Gaede couldn’t do Monday night.
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That is until the one thing Claremore needed most slipped away.
The junior dominated on the mound and delivered the game’s biggest hit at the plate, but despite his all-around effort, the Zebras couldn’t overcome a disastrous sixth inning in a 9-7 District 5A-3 loss to Collinsville at Legendary Legion Field at Murray-Pixley Park.
“It wasn’t very much fun,” Claremore coach Jonathan Gelnar said. “We did not play very good baseball tonight. The messaging is we had 7 errors and only lost by 2. We’ve gotta turn the page; there’s gonna be another one tomorrow. When things started to snowball, we had to do a better job of having a better response.”
Gaede was electric early, striking out 10 batters over 4 2/3 innings while allowing just 4 hits and 3 runs on 106 pitches. At the plate, he sparked Claremore’s comeback, finishing 2-for-3 with 2 RBIs, including a go-ahead double that briefly flipped the game in the Zebras’ favor.
For much of the night, however, Claremore played from behind.
Collinsville [12-6, 8-1 District 5A-3] took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when a passed ball allowed a run to score, then extended the advantage in the third. After a leadoff single by Noah Medina, the Cardinals capitalized on a defensive miscue in the outfield, plating 2 runs to build a 3-0 lead.
Despite Gaede’s dominance on the mound, highlighted by multiple shutdown innings and double-digit strikeouts, Claremore struggled to generate offense early.
The Zebras [14-7, 8-1] didn’t record their first hit until Gaede led off the fourth with a single, just their third baserunner of the game at that point.
Everything changed in the fifth.
Trailing 3-0, Claremore erupted for 5 runs on 3 hits in a dramatic momentum swing. John Tedesco ignited the rally with a walk and later scored on a double by Luke Roberts to get the Zebras on the board.
A wild pitch brought home another run to cut the deficit to 3-2.
Then came Gaede.
With runners on, the junior ripped a double to center field, driving in 2 runs to give Claremore its first lead at 4-3. Moments later, Brayden Floyd followed with a double of his own, scoring Gaede and extending the lead to 5-3.
In a matter of minutes, the Zebras had flipped the game on its head, with momentum firmly in their dugout.
It didn’t last.
Collinsville answered with a devastating 6-run sixth inning, taking advantage of multiple Claremore errors.
The Cardinals scored 6 runs on just 1 hit in the frame, using a combination of defensive miscues, a wild pitch and a sacrifice play to surge ahead 9-5.
The Zebras were unable to respond in the bottom half, going down in order as Collinsville’s pitching staff regained control.
“They put a lot of pressure on us and played the game the right way,” Gelnar said. “I don’t know if it was a focus thing. I feel like we were prepared going in. We’ll do some soul-searching, and we’ll be back at it.”
Claremore made one final push in the seventh.
Bo Wolf singled and advanced to third, and Gaede reached on a walk to put runners on. After a fielder’s choice erased one scoring opportunity, Claremore capitalized on a catcher’s error, allowing 2 runs to score and cut the deficit to 9-7.
But that would be as close as the Zebras would get, as the final out stranded the tying run in scoring position.
“I would not have enjoyed being a fan today because it was not a brand of baseball that we’re proud of,” Gelnar said. “I’m proud that we fought back, and I thought we did a good job of getting their starter out, and then we had momentum. When you have good teams and the margins are very thin and you let them have life, we gotta be better at stopping that before it happens.”
Isaac Sprain started for Collinsville, allowing 3 runs over 4 1/3 innings, while the Cardinals’ bullpen held on late. Offensively, Cayden Cupps led Collinsville with 2 RBIs, while several players contributed hits in a balanced attack.
Claremore showed patience at the plate with 6 walks and turned a double play defensively, but defensive miscues ultimately proved costly.
With the loss, the Zebras fell into a three-way tie for second place in District 5A-3 with Collinsville and Tahlequah, trailing unbeaten Pryor. Despite the crowded standings, Gelnar said there is no added pressure, with opportunities still ahead.
Claremore will get a quick chance to respond when it travels to Collinsville for a 7 p.m. rematch Tuesday, with upcoming district series against Pryor and Tahlequah looming large in the race.
“We obviously need to win, but at the same time, we respect those guys and we want to beat them every time,” Gelnar said. “I don’t want to add any pressure to it because the more pressure you’re under, the worse you’re gonna play. We have to play better and get back to how we had been playing.”