EL DORADO — The Allen baseball team jumped on top early and earned a key Regional VI playoff win at Butler Wednesday afternoon.
The Red Devils (24-27; 13-19) scored two runs in the first inning, three runs in the third and one more run in each of the fifth and sixth innings before holding off the Grizzlies late comeback for a 7-6 win.
The win gives Allen a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series, which was scheduled to continue at 4 p.m. Thursday and, if necessary, at 1 p.m. Friday at El Dorado’s McDonald Stadium.
Allen’s John James (8-2) started on the mound and went 6.2 innings, allowing five runs on seven hits while striking out six. Nic Bessecker came in for relief in the seventh inning and went the final 2.1 frames, allowing only a solo homer in the ninth with four strikeouts.
Cade Schupp’s two-run home run to right field in the top of the first staked Allen to the early lead.
The Grizzlies cut the deficit to 2-1 in the bottom of the second when Brock Toothaker singled through the left side of the infield to plate Alan Bernhardt.
Garrett Rusch responded for Allen, knocking a two-run single for the 4-1 advantage in the top of the third. The Red Devils tacked on one more on a Colton Ayres’s infield single.
Allen’s Carson Shepherd lifted an RBI double to left center to plate Blake Venneman for the 6-1 advantage in the top of the fifth. Venneman then came through in the sixth with an RBI double to left center field for Allen’s seventh tally.
Izack Tiger (9-5) started on the mound for Butler and went 5.2 innings while allowing seven runs on 11 hits with five strikeouts. Zach Brink tossed the final 3.1 innings out of the bullpen and didn’t allow a hit while striking out four Red Devils.
Justin Hudson lifted a two-run homer to cut Allen’s lead to 7-3. Hudson drove in another run in the seventh inning on a sacrifice fly. Butler’s Brock Lummus then singled to center field to bring home another run and make it 7-5 heading to the eighth.
Hayden Dyer’s solo homer in the bottom of the ninth made it a one-run game, 7-6, before Bessecker slammed the door to earn the save.
Schupp and Rusch each drove home two runs while Braden Hendrix, Venneman, Shepherd and Schupp each had two hits.
