OWASSO — — Coming off their 12-10 come-from-behind victory over Tulsa Union Thursday to reach the 6A regional baseball finals, Enid Plainsmen were the beneficiaries of 13 walks and scored four times on bases- loaded walks.

Howver, the Plainsmen saw the opposite end of the pitching spectrum Friday in the regional finals as Owasso pitching phenom Dylan Bundy struck out 17 Plainsmen in the Rams’ 7-0 victory.

The win, Owasso’s 30th in a row, sends the Rams (34-1) to the state tournament, where they have appeared in the championship game in 13 of the past 14 years.

Despite the loss in the finals, the Plainsmen (15-25) ended a tough season on a positive note by winning twice in the regional tournament, defeating Bartlesville and Tulsa Union after opening play Wednesday with a loss to Union.

“The kids really competed and really played hard in this tournament,” said Enid head coach James Peoples. “They could have folded their tents against Tulsa Union (Thursday), but they battled.”

As anticipated, it was the Bundy show Friday afternoon. Bundy entered the game with a record of 9-0, an ERA of 0.25 and had struck out 130 batters over 57 innings, surrendering only four walks and allowing two earned runs.

Bundy, whose fastball has been clocked as high 100 mph this season, already has signed with the University of Texas, but likely never will set foot in Austin as he is projected to be a Top 10 pick – and possibly the No. 1 overall pick – in the June Major League Baseball draft.

The Plainsmen found out early about Bundy as five of Enid’s first seven batters went down on strikeouts. Bundy also set down six straight batters on strikes during one stretch, striking out the side in the fourth and fifth innings.

“That’s the best arm I have ever seen in person in high school baseball,” said Peoples regarding Bundy’s performance. “He’s the real deal. He has a nice slider and cutter, paints the corners with his fastball and has total command of his pitches. It’s a mismatch for any high school hitter and probably most college hitters as well.”

Enid did manage three hits off Bundy with Blake Ferguson scratching out a single in the second inning and Christian Rodriguez getting a base hit in the third. The Plainsmen did not put another runner on base until the seventh, when Joe Black elicited the only walk of the day off Bundy, then advanced on a wild pitch and moved to third base on Dillon Walker’s single. Bundy settled down from there, striking out the side to end the game.

Black was the only Plainsmen baserunner to advance past first base against Bundy, who was clocked at 96 mph during Friday’s game.

The Rams were held scoreless for the first two innings by Enid starter Trevor Miller, who was starting for the second-straight game and went two and two-thirds innings.

The Rams batted around in both the third and fourth innings in scoring all of their runs.

Bundy recorded the Rams’ first RBI when his sacrifice fly scored Andrew Rosa who led off the third inning with a single and took second base on a steal. Rosa moved to third base on a single by Kendall Emerson. Justin Steelmon followed with a double before Cory Taylor’s wind-aided double off the center field fence brought him home. That spelled the end of the day for Miller, who was charged with four runs and seven hits.

Jerry Kearney, who had pitched a complete game in Enid’s 7-2 win over Bartlesville Wednesday, relieved Miller and got Enid out of further trouble after walking the bases loaded, but Kearney would not survive the fourth inning.

Owasso’s Steelman delivered the big blow in the Rams’ three-run fourth inning with a two-run homer (his second of the regional tournament). Jackson Walker came in to relieve Kearney and, after surrendering a run on three singles and hitting a batter, settled down the rest of the way, finishing the game and keeping Owasso off the scoreboard.

Peoples was pleased overall with the way Enid finished its season.

 “They were playing their best ball at the end of the year and that’s all you can ask for,” said Peoples.



OWASSO 7, ENID 0



ENID    000    000    0    -    0 3 0

OWASSO    004    300    x    -    7 12 0



WP: Bundy (10-0); 17 strikeouts, 1walk; LP: Miller; 1 strikeout. LOB: Enid 3; Owasso 11

WP: Bundy, Miller

Owasso: HR: Steelmon; 2B: Steelmon, Steiner, Sole.