COLLINSVILLE — Collinsville will play in its fifth consecutive Class 5A state baseball tournament this week. The Cardinals will meet Carl Albert in the quarterfinals at 4 p.m. Thursday at Jenks.
The Cardinals (31-4) advanced with a 13-0 victory over Edison in the regional final last Thursday at Collinsville’s Pat Colpitt Field. JT Davis pitched the five-inning, run-ruled shutout as he allowed three hits and struck out five.
But the key moment in the regional was in the winners’ bracket game last Wednesday when Collinsville’s Jonathan Badgwell was not going to let a mere take sign stop him.
Pinch-hitting in the bottom of the ninth inning with the bases loaded and the game tied, Badgwell bounced a walk-off single up the middle as Collinsville rallied from a two-run deficit to post a 5-4 victory against Glenpool in a Class 5A regional winners bracket game last Wednesday afternoon at Pat Colpitt Field.
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With nobody out and the bases full, Cardinals head coach Tony Reeder called on Badgwell, to come to the plate against Warriors relief pitcher Beau Hayles and the Cardinals junior delivered.
“I have worked my butt off all year — all three years — and have had opportunities,” Badgwell said about the first game-winning hit of his high school career.
“Coach G (assistant coach James Garrison) believed in me and he said, ‘If it’s there, hit it.’ I just hit it.”
Collinsville, which defeated Rogers 5-2 earlier Wednesday in the opener of the four-team regional, had loaded the bases when Hayles hit Cyrus Kornegay with a pitch to open the Cardinals’ ninth inning.
Colton Hollenbeck, who had three hits and drove in a pair of runs including the run to knot the game at 4-4 in the sixth inning, was then issued an intentional walk before Bentley Brown’s infield single loaded the bases and set the stage for Badgwell.
“It’s my first time in a big situation like that and I was able to come through for the team,” he said of his pivotal at bat.
“I was looking for a fastball, middle-middle. In fact, coach gave me the take sign but a fastball middle-middle, I just couldn’t take it so I just hit it.”
Collinsville trailed 4-2 entering the bottom of the sixth inning but rallied with a pair of runs off Glenpool starter Denim Sands.
Madaxon Aunko lined a two-out, run-scoring double to drive in Owen Eubanks, who had reached via a single. Two batters after the two-bagger, Hollenbeck sent Aunko home with his third hit of the day — a single to left field.
Aunko came on in relief to start the seventh inning and retired nine of the 10. batters he faced to pick up the win.
Glenpool (21-18), which edged Edison 8-6 in its regional opener Wednesday, scored three runs in the sixth inning to take a 4-2 advantage.
Hollenbeck’s first hit of the day led to Collinsville’s initial run in the second inning. His fourth inning single drove in his team’s second tally to give the Cardinals a 2-1 lead that lasted until the sixth inning.
COLLINSVILLE 5, GLENPOOL 4
(9 innings)
Glenpool 100 003 000 — 4 4 4
Collinsville 011 002 001 — 5 10 2
Sands, Hayles (8) and Barry. Wright, Rush (6), Aunko (7) and Hollenbeck. W: Aunko. L: Hayles. T: 2:45.
COLLINSVILLE 5, ROGERS 2
Rogers 000 200 0 — 2 2 1
Collinsville 040 001 x — 5 13 2
Torres and Trevino. Lawhead, Collins (4), Marshall (4), Burwell (7) and Hollenbeck. W: Lawhead. L: Torres.
