Oilers reach semifinals of tournament

News-Times Staff ARKADELPHIA - The El Dorado Oilers reached the semifinals of this past weekend’s Henderson State Legion Showdown before bowing out with a 5-3 loss at the hands of the Monroe (La.) Majors.

Reagan Cates went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI, while Blake McLelland was 1-for-3 with a triple, a run scored and an RBI.

Colton Pratt was 1-for-3 with a double and Joe Lowe walked twice, stole two bases and scored a run.

On the mound, Hunter Brantley allowed five runs with only two being earned in five innings of work. He allowed four hits, walked four and struck out four.

Cates walked one batter in a scoreless inning out of the bullpen.

En route to reaching the semifinals, the Oilers went 1-1-1 in pool play.

In their opener, the Oilers played Texarkana to a 1-1 tie.

Gage Otwell turned in a sterling effort on the mound, finishing with a five-hitter.

He walked three and struck out four.

His effort nearly went for naught, but Pratt singled home Brock McGoogan in the top of the seventh to tie the game.

Brantley went 2-for-3 with a double.

The Oilers then topped Lakeside 11-3 with Casey Chandler following Otwell’s lead with a solid outing on the mound.

Chandler allowed three runs with only one being earned over six innings. He allowed just two hits, walked three and struck out nine.

Five players had at least two hits in the win with Brantley going 3-for-4 with three runs scored and two RBIs.

Pratt was 2-for-4 with two doubles, two runs scored and three RBIs, while Lowe was 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, a stolen base and two RBIs.

Chad Butler was 2-for-3 with a double, a walk and a run, while Otwell was 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI.

Bryce Ware was 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI, while Myles Jones and Cates each had one hit, one run scored and one RBI.

The Oilers will be back in action on Thursday when they host the defending American Legion World Series champion Texarkana Razorbacks in a doubleheader at Norphlet.

Game time is set for 6 p.m.