Comanche baseball gets season underway with 3-1 start

March 08, 2023
Comanche's Ian Essex slides safely into second base against Cache last Friday. Comanche's Ian Essex slides safely into second base against Cache last Friday.

The Comanche baseball team gave the home fans something to cheer about in their season opener as three Indian pitchers combined for a one-hitter in a 5-1 win over visiting Cache last Friday.

Landon Steele, Gabe Diaz and Gunner King combined to keep the Cache batters in check. Eleven of the 21 outs recorded by the Indians came by the way of strikeouts. They also walked seven batters, but got out of jams throughout most of the game.

Meanwhile, Comanche belted out 10 hits in their new powder blue uniforms reminiscent of the 1980’s St. Louis Cardinals style uniforms.

It did not take long for the Indians to get on the board. After a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the first, Comanche’s offense went right to work in the bottom half.

Leadoff batter Ian Essex drew a walk and then stole second. Following a strikeout, Gabe Diaz advanced Essex on a single and then came home on a sacrifice bunt by Steele.

The Indians got on the scoreboard again in the bottom of the third when Essex would again score. This time, he would get a one-out single, and come home to score on an RBI single by Diaz to push the lead to 2-0.

In the bottom of the fourth, Comanche added another run when Brady Dobbins walked and came around to score on an error off a hard ground ball bit by Clayton Brantner. Brantner was one of three Comanche batters to finish with a multiple-hit game as he was joined by Essex and Diaz.

Cache cut the lead to 3-1 in the top of the sixth, but Comanche would get two more insurance runs in the bottom half of the inning. Brantner singled home Payton Jones who had singled earlier in the inning. Essex picked up an RBI single in the inning with a ground ball to right field that scored Kooper Doucet, who had been hit by a pitch earlier in the inning. Doucet, a senior, played in his first game as an Indian baseball player since eighth grade.

Comanche held the Bulldogs scoreless in the top of the seventh to claim the 5-1 win.

Landon Steele was the winning pitcher, striking out nine and surrendering just one hit and four walks.

Batting Stats

Comanche: Ian Essex, 2-for-2, two runs scored, RBI; Clayton Brantner, 2-for-3, RBI; Gabe Diaz, 2-for-4, RBI: Landon Steele, 1-for-3, RBI; Brady Dobbins, 1-for-2, run scored; Colby Shannon, 1-for-3; Payton Jones, 1-for-2, run scored; Kooper Doucet, 0-for-1, run scored

 
Saturday

Lone Grove 17,

Comanche 0

The Longhorns were rude hosts, jumping out early and never allowing Comanche to get a foothold.

The run-ruled shortened game went four innings as the Indians did not muster a hit. Lone Grove had 15 hits and scored five runs each in the first and second innings and added seven in the third.

Ian Essex and Landon Steele were the only Comanche players to reach base as both drew a walk. All 12 Comanche outs were recorded by strikeout.

Monday

Comanche 19,

Marietta 3

The Indian bats came out at Marietta in the first game of a doubleheader. Comanche scored 19 runs in two innings to win by mercy rule in a key district game.

The Indians scored six runs in the first inning and 13 in the second.

Comanche had 13 hits total in the contest with Gunner King, Gabe Diaz, Brad Dobbins, Colby Shannon and Kooper Doucet all picking up two hits each. Diaz and Dobbins each had doubles. Diaz also led the team with 3 RBI. Landon Steele, Kanon Clift and Payton Jones all picked up a hit.

Steele and Evan Dodd combined to record nine strikeouts in the three innings and only gave up one hit.

Comanche 11

Marietta 2

Comanche scored 10 runs in the top of the first inning and then added the final run in the fifth as they won by mercy rule.

Ian Essex led the way for Comanche by going 3-for- 4. Brady Dobbins, Colby Shannon, and Payton Jones had two hits each. Gunner King, Gabe Diaz, Landon Steele and Clayton Brantner each had a hit with Diaz and Brantner picking up a double.

Diaz was the winning pitcher allowing no runs on one hit and striking out six. Jones and King finished out the game.