By Blake Colston
Sports Editor
OKLAHOMA CITY – Piedmont’s baseball team put its full arsenal on display Tuesday night at Bishop McGuinness.
The Wildcats got a quality start from Jackson Califano, a dominant relief effort from Noah Aller and showed a blend of small ball and power hitting during a 6-0 win over the Irish at Joe Cook Field.
Noah Smith, Reid Smith, Luke Hill, Weston Thomas and Jakeb Koop each drove in runs as Piedmont totaled seven hits off McGuinness starting pitcher Brett Jacobs, but it was the ‘Cats’ versatility up and down the lineup that made the difference on a day that a howling south wind blowing in from right field forced Piedmont to play small ball.
“We’re well-rounded offensively. Our whole lineup pretty much top to bottom can all run, and they can all bunt,” head coach Adam Skokowski said. “But we can all bash, too. These guys are willing to do what it takes.”
Piedmont’s small ball attack ultimately forced McGuinness into seven costly errors. The Wildcats put the game away with three runs in the top of the seventh with a single and two extra-base hits.
“When we started putting pressure on them with the bunt, with the wind the ball starts moving and tailing and they threw it away a couple of times that led to some early runs,” Skokowski said, “then we started sticking it late.”
Califano pitched 5.1 innings of shutout baseball with seven strikeouts and five walks before giving way to Aller, who slammed the door on a McGuinness (17-12, 9-3) rally in the sixth with a pair of strikeouts then worked a scoreless seventh to earn the save, one day after he picked up the win as Piedmont beat the Irish 8-7 in extra innings on Monday.
“Jackson will scare you, but he always seems to get the job done,” Skokowski said. “Noah has been tough two days in a row. He’s a lefty that pounds the zone and dares them to hit it.”
With the win, Piedmont (20-6, 12-0) secured a spot as a regional host and will battle Carl Albert (22-5, 11-1) for the district title in a two-game series that begins on Monday in Midwest City.
“We always have that expectation. Every year since I’ve been here,” Skokowski said competing for district championships and beyond. “We’re going to go battle (Carl Albert) and see what we’ve got.”
UP NEXT
Piedmont on Thursday, Friday and Saturday will host some of Class 5A’s top teams for a three-day festival in Piedmont with a field that includes five state tournament qualifiers from 2022.
Claremore, Duncan, Elgin, Carl Albert, Midwest City, Shawnee, Lawton MacArthur, Collinsville and Noble round out the festival lineup.
“It’s really cool this time of year to see some of the teams you might see at state,” Skokowski said. “It’s also a great way to kind of scout everyone, too.”
Below is the full schedule.
Thursday, April 20
10:00 a.m. Noble vs. Carl Albert
12:30 p.m. Midwest City vs. Elgin
3:00 p.m. Lawton Mac vs. Shawnee
5:30 p.m. Lawton Mac vs. Collinsville
8:00 p.m. Piedmont vs. Duncan
Friday, April 21
10:00 a.m. Shawnee vs. Elgin
12:30 p.m. Carl Albert vs. Elgin
3:00 p.m. Duncan vs. Collinsville
5:30 p.m. Noble vs. Midwest City
8:00 p.m. Noble vs. Claremore
Saturday, April 22nd
10:00 a.m. Collinsville vs. Midwest City
12:30 p.m. Duncan vs. Carl Albert
3:00 p.m. Piedmont vs. Shawnee
5:30 p.m. Claremore vs. Piedmont
