BACK IN THE WIN COLUMN: Tigers bounce back to defeat Holland Hall

Byron Beers, Tahlequah Daily Press, Okla.
·2 min read

Apr. 5—Tahlequah got great production from the middle of its lineup and held off Holland Hall for an 11-9 win Saturday in Tahlequah.

Beckett Robinson, Dylan Leep and Brayden Northington combined for nine of the Tigers' 13 hits and also combined to drive in five runs.

Robinson, a freshman who's hitting a team-high .523 on the season with five extra-base hits and 19 runs scored, went a perfect 4 for 4 with a double, three runs scored and knocked in one run. Leep, from the cleanup spot, finished with three hits, two runs scored and led with three RBIs, and Northington had a pair of hits with a run scored and drove in one run.

Tahlequah, who scored six of its runs in the third inning, improved to 7-9 overall under first-year head coach Sam Nelson and bounced back from a 10-2 home loss to Pryor on Thursday, March 31.

Native Yahola earned the win on the mound in relief. Yahola allowed three runs, two of which were earned, on five hits in 3.1 innings and recorded six strikeouts while not issuing a walk.

Leep started the scoring for the Tigers during the third when he lined a two-run single to right field that scored Tyler Joice and Jacob Morrison and cut Holland Hall's lead to 3-2.

Robinson, who had three stolen bases in the contest, stole home to get Tahlequah even, and Northington followed with an RBI single to bring home Leep and give the Tigers a 4-3 edge.

Parker Lane scored the fifth run of the third after Aidan Mapps bunted and reached base on an error, and Mapps crossed home plate on a balk that gave THS a three-run advantage.

Holland Hall, the defending Class 3A State Champions, rallied with a three-run fourth to get even, before the Tigers added six more runs in the bottom half.

Robinson singled to left to bring home Morrison and gave Tahlequah a 7-6 lead, Robinson later scored on an error to make it 8-6, Leep crossed home plate on a passed ball, and Northington scored on another error to extend Tahlequah's lead to 10-6.

The Tigers got their final run during the fifth inning on an RBI single to left by Leep that scored Robinson.

In a starting role for the Tigers, Eli Gibson allowed four earned runs on eight hits in 3.2 innings. Gibson had one strikeout and issued five walks.

The Tigers did not play a scheduled District 6A-4 matchup with Stillwater Monday due to rain. They visit Stillwater Tuesday and return home Wednesday to face the Pioneers in a 6 p.m. start. Tahlequah will host Enid Thursday at 4 p.m., and visit Cascia Hall on Friday.