Late rally haunts Oilers in loss
The El Dorado Oilers were five outs away from their second straight postseason win, but a sixth-inning rally came back to haunt the Oilers in a 2-1 loss to Russellville at the Arkansas American Legion AAA Senior State Tournament Thursday at Sheridan.
The Oilers (20-11) will take on Lake Hamilton in an elimination game today at 5:30 p.m.
With one out and nobody on in the bottom of the sixth, Oilers starter Jacob Eubanks was rolling along, having allowed only three hits over 5 1/3 scoreless innings.
However, two singles and a walk loaded the bases, and a passed ball allowed the Pirates to tie the game.
After Eubanks hit a batter to reload the bases, Chase Brumley was summoned to try and halt the rally.
Brandon Bunton greeted Brumley by hitting a line drive to left that Tanner McLelland nearly made a great catch on, but fell for a base hit that scored the go-ahead run.
Brumley was able to avoid further damage, giving the Oilers an opportunity to make a comeback.
In the seventh, Ty Disotell led off with a single to right-center, putting the tying run on base.
Hunter Lawrence entered the game as a pinch runner, but Josh Saulsbury was retired on a fly out to center.
McLelland drew a walk to put runners at first and second, prompting a pitching change.
Baylor Brumley then came to the plate and hit a rocket on the first pitch that was caught, resulting in a game-ending double play.
The Oilers broke a scoreless stalemate with a run in the fifth.
McLelland hit a one-out single to left for his second hit of the game, and Brumley followed with a base hit to center to put runners at first and second.
With Rhett Richardson at the plate, a wild pitch advanced the runners to second and third.
Richardson then drove in McLelland with a ground out to first to give the Oilers a 1-0 lead before the Pirates rallied in the sixth.
Eubanks (3-3) took the loss after allowing five hits and two runs with one being earned over 5 1/3 innings. He walked three and struck out three.
Brumley recorded the final two outs, allowing one hit with one strikeout.
McLelland was 2-for-3 with a walk and one run scored to lead the Oilers’ attack.
Jackson Cook, Braden Doherty, Disotell, Brumley and Saulsbury each had one hit in the contest for the Oilers with Doherty’s hit being a double and Brumley added a walk to go with his fifth-inning single.
Richardson had the lone RBI in the game for the Oilers.