Johnny McMahan
Woodward News
Woodward, Okla. — Ryan Ainsworth homered twice and a trio of Traveler pitchers slowed down the Cleveland County offense as the Majors won 9-2 in the quarterfinals of the Oklahoma Town League state baseball tournament Wednesday at the new Fuller Park.
Ainsworth drove in 3 runs and scored 3 as the Majors improved to 51-22. Cleveland County saw its 10-game winning streak halted. Cleveland County had opened the day with a 24-3 win over the Southwest Shockers Red team.
Shane Martin worked into the 6th inning for the win, but needed a strong relief performance from Brandon Roberts. With 1 out and the bases loaded in the sixth, Roberts got a strkeout and pop up to get out of the inning.
Roberts pitched the seventh and eighth innings while Chris Faulkner throwing the ninth.
The Traveler pitchers dodged bullets the entire game as Cleveland County left 14 on base.
Cleveland County took a 1-0 lead in the third on Dalton Hilliard's RBI double and the game was 2-2 going into the bottom of the fifth.
That's when the Travelers found the long ball.
Braden Todd, Faulkner and Ainsworth all hit solo homers to give the Travelers a 5-2 lead.
Ainsworth's second homer made it 7-2 in the seventh.
In the eighth inning, Todd singled in a run and another scored on Trevor Julian's sacrifice fly for the 9-2 final. Todd had 4 hits in the game.
The Traveler Majors play the Southwest Shockers tonight at 7 p.m. in the semifinal found. The other semifinal in Enid has Oklahoma City Sandlot against the Enid Majors, also at 7 p.m.
Action starts in Woodward today at 10 a.m. with Cleveland County against the Enid Minors at 10 a.m. The Enid Rookies follow against OBA White at 1 p.m. and the Southwest Shockers Red face OBA Red at 4 p.m.
