Buffs fall in battle with Coweta

Apr. 23—It was a back and forth fight to the finish.

McAlester hosted Coweta Tuesday at Mike Deak Field in the final district matchup of the season, with the Buffs battling but falling 7-4.

The Tigers opened up with a score in the first inning to take the early lead. But the Buffs bounced right back, using a sacrifice fly from Brayden Phillips to tie up the game.

In the bottom of the second inning, Ayden Shumway reached the bags safely with a single. He was followed by Caden Lesnau, who drilled a ball to the center field fence to score Shumway and give McAlester the lead. And with his triple, Lesnau set the new record for most triples in a season — one that had been held for more than three decades.

Defensive efforts took over for both teams until the bottom of the fourth inning, when the Buffs got hot at the plate. Jordan Clark led off with a walk to get on base, and would be scored on a double by Lesnau. Ganon Mullins followed with an RBI single, putting McAlester up by three runs.

The Tigers found an answer in the next two innings, scoring six to take a three run lead into the bottom of the sixth inning.

The Buffs fought to the finish, but it'd be Coweta holding on for the win.

Lesnau led the way at the plate, going 2-3 with two RBIs, while Mullins and Phillips added an RBI each. Mullins and Jaxon Lauerman combined their efforts on the mound, striking out six.

Next up for the Buffs, they're scheduled to face off Thursday against Pryor and Friday against Oktaha with Senior Day festivities.

With the result, McAlester finishes in fourth place in District 5A-4. The Buffs will head to the Collinsville regional next week alongside Grove and Tulsa Memorial.