Both the Odessa High and Wolfforth Frenship baseball teams entered the second game of their three-game series with plenty of postseason implications.
The Bronchos were unable to help their chances, falling 9-2 to the Tigers in District 2-6A play on Friday at Pressly Field.
The loss temporarily dropped Odessa High (15-11 overall, 6-9 district) out of a tie for fourth place with San Angelo Central, which was scheduled to face Midland Lee later Friday.
Wolfforth Frenship (18-11, 12-3) won its 10th straight game to move within a half game of first-place Permian with three games left in the regular season.
Wolfforth Frenship struck first with a one-out double to left field by Tristan Laughlin to drive in Dylan Stephens in the top of the second inning.
Laughlin followed that with a smart play on the bases, scoring from second base after Connor Little hit into a fielder’s choice.
The Tigers kept the aggressive approach going in the third inning, starting with an RBI triple by Coldon Kiser, who scored on a sacrifice fly by Stephens.
Frenship broke the game open in the fifth with a three-run home run by Kiser to make it 7-0.
Odessa High was held in check by Frenship left-hander Gage Cobb, managing just three hits through the first five innings.
“He made pitches when he needed to make pitches and we didn’t get hits when we needed to get hits. It’s pretty simple,” Odessa High head coach Josh Hulin said.
The Bronchos were able to break through in the bottom of the sixth inning with a two-run single by Joeluis Charles with the bases loaded. That turned out to be the last batter that Cobb faced, finishing with eight strikeouts, two walks and two runs on six hits in 5.2 innings.
Odessa High loaded the bases again in the inning but was unable to take advantage as Frenship reliever Lawson Peel recorded a strikeout for the final out of the inning.
The Tigers added two insurance runs in the top of the seventh with an RBI single by Stephens to drive in Kiser, who led the inning off with his second triple.
Barrett Workman scored the other run after tagging up from third base on a lineout. Carter Estill pitched a perfect seventh inning to secure the victory for Frenship.
“Odessa High is a good team and they’re really hard to beat at home,” Wolfforth Frenship head coach Chad Reynolds said. “We haven’t walked out of here with a win too many times against these guys and so anytime you can come on the road and get a district win, it’s always big.
“That started with Gage today.”
The series concludes at 2 p.m. Saturday at Tiger Field in Wolfforth and Hulin is hoping to still salvage a game from the series to get back in the right direction heading into the final series against San Angelo Central next week.
“There’s no special message,” Hulin said. “We’ve just tried to make the game as simple as possible and just play it pitch by pitch and enjoy the game.
“Tomorrow, we’ll just go up there and have fun playing the game that we love.”
>> Follow Tony Venegas on Twitter at @OA_TVenegas
Wolfforth Frenship 9, Odessa High 2
Frenship…….. 022 030 2 — 9 11 0
Odessa High. 000 002 0 — 2 7 0
Gage Cobb, Lawson Peel (6), Carter Estill (7) and Tristan Laughlin. Jairo Guerrero and Thomas Chavez. W — Cobb. L — Guerrero. 2B — Wolfforth Frenship: Laughlin, Evan Johnson. 3B — Wolfforth Frenship: Coldon Kiser 2. HR — Wolfforth Frenship: Kiser.
Records — Wolfforth Frenship 18-11 Overall, 12-3 District 2-6A; Odessa High 15-11, 6-9.
