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Logan Lunceford -
Kade Shatwell -
Cooper Jenson -
Logan Lunceford -
Morgan Lunceford
A strong performance on the mound was not enough to keep the season alive.
The Edmond Santa Fe baseball team fell 2-0 to Jenks in the state quarterfinals Thursday afternoon at Edmond Memorial.
Santa Fe (19-15) limited Jenks to one earned run but could not score against strong Trojan pitching.
Jenks (31-10) twice stranded a Santa Fe runner at third to keep the shutout intact.
Santa Fe coach Ryan Phillips said Jenks senior pitcher Brooks Fowler was the difference in the game.
“Their pitcher was in control,” Phillips said. “(He) kept us off balance, and we just really couldn’t find it at the plate… Just a little bit of (velocity) and his slider. We were kind of caught in between pitches. We weren’t comfortable at the plate.”
Fowler earned the complete game shutout. He struck out eight while walking two. He gave up two hits and hit one batter.
Despite the loss, Santa Fe junior Kade Shatwell also had an impressive performance on the mound. He pitched all seven innings, striking out seven and walking none. The Trojans got five hits against him.
“He’s been nails all year,” Phillips said. “He’s a really good pitcher. We just didn’t back him up today.”
Jenks freshman Tanner Primeaux had the game’s only RBI when he hit a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning, scoring Fowler. Senior Cash Adams scored the other run in the fifth. He reached second base on an error, then scored after back-to-back fielder’s choices.
Santa Fe’s best chances to score came in the first and fourth innings. In the first, sophomore Devin Mitchell walked, stole second and moved to third on an error. In the fourth, senior Cayden Brumbaugh singled, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and to third on a fielder’s choice. On both occasions, the Wolves were unable to get a hit to bring the runner home.
The Wolves are done for the year, but Phillips said the experience of playing in the state tournament is huge for the players returning next season.
“In the fall, this is going to be great for us,” Phillips said. “Now, we know how close we were. A lot of the juniors that were playing were freshmen last time they got to play baseball here. This is a huge experience for them, and we’re only going to get better.”
With Santa Fe’s loss, Class 6A will have a new state champion in 2021. The Wolves won the 2019 state title, and no champion was named in 2020.