After being pummeled in the opening game of the Class 5A state baseball
championships, Hayes earned a monstrous 4-3 victory over Shawnee to keep the Bulldogs title hopes alive.
Altus will play the loser of the Booker T. Washington/ Bishop Kelly game at 6:30 tonight at Broken Arrow High School.
"After what happened in the first game," said Altus coach James Rubi, "we showed character. We have been talking about that all year. Don't count us out."
That attitude was displayed by Hayes throughout the day. He pitched one
inning in the Bulldogs 10-3 loss to Claremore and gave up six runs in the
crucial sixth.
Instead of hanging his head and feeling sorry for himself, Hayes took the
ball in the second contest and held a potent Wolves' lineup at bay.
"I was a little nervous," Hayes said. "But after the first couple of innings. I just came out and played. I didn't loose any confidence. I have been hit worse than that."
With catcher Logan Childers calling strong game, Hayes went the distance, allowed three hits, struck out nine and walked seven.
But he saved his best for last. With Shawnee trailing by one run in the top of the seventh inning, the Wolves looked to start a rally.
But with the help of Bucky Buxton, Hayes canceled any thought of a Shawnee comeback.
Shawnee's Gunner Wright hit a towering shot to center field. But a hustling Buxton flew over from right field and caught the fly ball against the wall for the first out.
"That's a big time play Bucky made," Rubi said. "Big time players make big
plays. He don't catch that it's a different ball game."
The catch may have pumped Hayes up as he struck out the final two batters to
end the game and pull off the upset.
Buxton put the Dogs on the scoreboard in the first by scoring on a wild
pitch. Matt Meier did the same in the fourth to tie the game at 2-2. But it
was Childers' and Hayes' RBI singles in the fifth that put Altus ahead for good.
"It was very big," Hayes said. "They were No. 2 in the state all year. We
just had to come out and play."
Against Claremore Altus got five dominating innings from its
pitchers. But it was the two that got away that spelled their doom.
Altus' ace Michael Hermer started the game off by allowing four runs in the first inning. The senior calmed himself and shut down Claremore for the next four innings. This allowed the Bulldogs (23-12) a chance to get back in the game.
Trailing 3-1 in the top of the sixth, Buxton was hit in the head by a pitch to put a runner on base. A RBI double by Kyle Denton closed the game to 4-2.
Claremore pitcher, Brett Bollman, had his no-hitter ruined by Denton and was taken out of the game after walking Childers. A single by Hayes loaded the bases with no outs. It was an opportunity to really put some pressure on Claremore. But Altus could get only one more run across the plate before the inning ended.
Hayes came on to pitch in the sixth and gave up six runs to put the game out of reach. Rubi said he would have kept Hermer in the contest if they had tied the game or taken the lead.
But since Rubi did pull him, Hermer will be able to pitch today in another win-or-go home situation for Altus. And the Bulldogs wouldn't want anyone else on the mound than Hermer.
"We burned Ben," Rubi said. "He can't pitch. But we have one game tomorrow and we are going with our horse, Michael. And he'll go after them because he will step it up. He can go the whole thing and I will burn him if I have to. There is no tomorrows. We are in the loser's bracket, we have to win."
If Altus wins today it will put the Bulldogs into Friday's pool finals. They would have to win twice on Friday to earn a spot in Saturday's 1 p.m. finals at Oral Roberts University.
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