BASEBALL: Tedesco fans 13 as Claremore edges Victory Christian
· Yahoo Sports
John Tedesco turned Thursday night into his personal strikeout showcase.
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The Claremore left-hander fanned 13 batters and kept Victory Christian off balance all evening, leading the Zebras to a 2-1 nondistrict victory in a tightly contested pitchers’ duel.
Tedesco allowed just 2 hits and 1 run over 5 innings while walking 2, repeatedly overpowering hitters.
Claremore’s bullpen preserved the slim lead the rest of the way, with Lucas Dupont and Brayden Floyd each delivering scoreless relief innings.
The Zebras [3-0] didn’t take the lead until late in the game, finally breaking a 1-all tie in the sixth inning when a passed ball allowed the go-ahead run to cross the plate.
The Conquerors [2-1] struck first in the second inning, though.
After Sean Kester reached with a single and advanced on a wild pitch, Sam Harris delivered a double to left field that brought the runner home to give the visitors a 1-0 advantage.
Tedesco quickly settled in after that.
The southpaw struck out the side in the first inning and continued to pile up strikeouts throughout the outing, finishing the fifth with another pair of punchouts to end his night with 13.
Claremore answered in the bottom of the third.
Tedesco helped start the rally with a double to left field before courtesy runner Dupont moved into scoring position. After Jax Van Valkenburg reached on catcher’s interference, Floyd delivered an RBI single down the left-field line that scored Dupont and tied the game at 1.
The Zebras threatened again in the inning when Kellen Gaede drew a walk to load the bases, but Victory Christian escaped further damage.
However, Claremore finally pushed across the decisive run in the sixth.
Evan Jameson worked a two-out walk and moved to second on a throwing error by the pitcher. Bo Wolf followed with a walk, and during Luke Roberts’ at-bat, a balk advanced both runners.
Moments later, a passed ball allowed Jameson to score and put the Zebras ahead 2-1.
Dupont took over on the mound in the sixth and retired the side in order, striking out 1.
Floyd handled the seventh inning and closed the door despite a two-out walk and a balk that moved the tying run into scoring position. The right-hander finished the game with back-to-back strikeouts before inducing a game-ending popout.
Floyd led Claremore with an RBI, while Van Valkenburg, Tedesco, Tyler Osgood and Floyd each recorded a hit.
Kester and Harris accounted for the Conquerors' 2 hits, with Harris driving in the team’s lone run.
The Zebras will look to carry the momentum into its next matchup when they travel to Grove for a 1 p.m. game Saturday.