Baseball Recap: Idabel Comes Up Short

Idabel extended their losing streak to eight on Thursday, dropping them down to 1-26. They came up short against the Valliant Bulldogs, falling 10-0. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest loss the Warriors have suffered against the Bulldogs since March 28, 2023.

As for Valliant, the win snapped their losing streak at three games and leaves them with a 13-9 record. The high-scoring performance was a welcome turnaround for their hitters, who had struggled in the games prior.

For Valliant's part, Brody Dorries was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out ten over five innings pitched. Dorries has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in six consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with two stolen bases, three runs, and three RBI. He is becoming a predictor of Valliant's success: when he posts at least two stolen bases the team is undefeated (and 8-9 when he doesn't).

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Cameron Jones, who went 2-for-3 with three stolen bases, three RBI, and one run. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in March. Ty Whitby also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.

Idabel and Valliant could both be facing uphill battles in their next games considering their disadvantage in the MaxPreps Oklahoma Rankings. The Warriors (ranked 349th) will meet Durant (ranked 133rd) at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Meanwhile, Valliant will take on Lone Grove at 5:00 p.m. on Friday with a big rank disadvantage (153 vs. 6).