MORAN — A year ago, a young Marmaton Valley High baseball squad struggled through the early portions of the season before finding its groove and ending the year on a high note.
History appears to be repeating itself.
After dropping their first seven games of 2024, the Wildcats have found the winning touch.
On Monday, the Wildcats erupted for five runs in the fifth inning — the big blow, a two-run double from Daniel Fewins — to rally from a 7-4 deficit against Southeast, winning 10-7.
Marmaton Valley didn’t wait nearly as long in Game 2, scoring six in the second to take the lead for good before ending the game in the fifth once the margin reached 10 runs in a 13-3 romp.
The Wildcats spotted Southeast an early 3-0 lead in the opener, but quickly closed the gap with RBI doubles from Dominic Smith and Garrett Morrison to pull the Wildcats to within 3-2 in the bottom of the first.
The Lancers responded with two more in the second to lead 5-2.
Bases-loaded walks to Mason Ferguson and Andie Carr closed the gap to 5-4 in the third frame, but again Southeast responded, scoring twice in the fifth to lead, 7-4.
Mason Ferguson stole home as part of a double steal to ignite the pivotal fifth-inning rally. Smith followed with an RBI single to close the gap to 7-6, setting the stage for Fewins’s two-run double later in the inning. Kele Michael worked a bases-loaded walk into the mix for a 9-7 lead.
Brayden Lawson’s RBI grounder in the sixth drove home Lord for the 10th and final run.
Smith paced the offense with a double and two singles, with two RBIs. Fewins singled and doubled and drove in two, Lord singled twice, while Morrison doubled.
Morrison and Michael shared the pitching duties. Morrison struck out two over 2.2 innings before Michael shut down the Southeast lineup over the final 4.1 innings, striking out five innings and allowing four walks and no earned runs.
SOUTHEAST again struck early in the nightcap, leading 3-0 after half an inning.
But it only slowed the inevitable.
Lord singled and Smith walked to lead off Marmaton Valley’s half of the first. Both came around to score.
