The varsity baseball teams at Beggs and Okmulgee met earlier this week for a pair of county battles.

The first meeting between the two Okmulgee County diamond squads took place Monday on the newly turfed field at Golden Demon Park in Beggs with the host Beggs Golden Demons emerging from the contest with a 9-2 victory.

The county rivals completed the homeand-home District 3A-6 showdown Tuesday at historic Dan Morgan Field at Bateman Park in Okmulgee where the Demons completed the district sweep with an 11-0 decision.

Both county diamond squads were scheduled to return to action Thursday with home games against Tulsa Rogers (Okmulgee) and Liberty-Mounds (Beggs), respectively. The Demons are also scheduled to host Holdenville on Friday, while the Bulldogs are scheduled to travel to Meeker.

In Monday’s district- opening battle in Beggs, the host Demons broke a scoreless tie with a 3-run bottom of second. After both teams tallied a run in their half of the third for a 4-1 Beggs lead, the host Demons made it a 5-1 contest with a run in the home half of the fourth.

The Bulldogs pushed across a run in the top of the fifth to cut the Beggs lead to three, 5-2, while the Demons added four runs in the last of the fifth for a 9-2 margin.

Neither team was able to produce any runs in the final one and onehalf innings of regulation to award the host Beggs Golden Demons the 9-2 decision.

Landon Helt was awarded the pitching win for Beggs in the county battle, allowing one run on six hits with two walks and six strikeouts in four and two-third innings of relief work.

Helt took over for starter Dakota Hudson, who worked the first two and one-third innings, giving up one run on one hit, striking out three and walking four.

Brandon Simon was saddled with the pitching loss for Okmulgee on Monday, allowing five runs on six hits with four walks and four strikeouts in three innings of work.

Alex Gilmour worked one and two-third innings of relief for the Bulldogs on Monday, giving up four runs on three hits, strking out one, and hitting one.

Jeremiah Cobb worked the final inning and one-third in relief for Okmulgee, striking out one and allowing two hits in the scoreless relief appearance.

The Demon offensive attack on Monday was led by the trio of Jace Basquez (2 for 4, 2 singles, RBI), Lane Kelly (2 for 4, single, double), and Carson Cooper (2 for 4, 2 singles, RBI) with two hits apiece.

The other Beggs base hits on Monday came on singles by Hudson and Colton McCoy, RBI singles by Ranson Stephens and Jerrett Hammer, and an RBI double by Helt.

Gilmour was the top hitter for the Bulldogs on Monday, finishing 2 for 2 with a single, double, and RBI.

The other five hits for Okmulgee on Monday came on singles by Jordan Deere, Daylan Callaway, Braelin Lewis, and Joseph Robertson and an RBI single by Dustin Dunlap.

In Tuesday’s county showdown in Okmulgee, the Demons opened the scoring with four runs in the top of the first then added two in the third, one in the fourth, and four in the fifth for the 11-0 decision.

The Bulldogs were held to just three hits in Tuesday’s contest – all singles. The three Okmulgee hits on Tuesday came off the bats of Daylan Callaway, Joseph Robertson, and Austin Burwell.

Nate Melton went the distance on the mound for the visiting Demons and earned the pitching win, allowing no runs on three hits with one walk and four strikeouts in five innings of work.

Ranson Stephens (3 for 4, 2 singles, double, RBI) and Jace Basquez (3 for 4, 3 singles, 3 RBIs) led the way offensively for Beggs on Tuesday with three hits apiece. Landon Helt also recorded a multi-hit game on Tuesday, finishing 2 for 4 with a pair of singles.

The other Demon base hits on Tuesday came on singles by Melton and Jerrett Hammer, an RBI double by Lane Kelly, and a 2-run single by Colton McCoy.

Callaway was saddled with the pitching loss for the host Bulldogs, allowing seven runs on seven hits with five walks and three strikeouts in four innings of work.

Jordan Deere worked the fifth inning in relief, giving up four runs on five hits, walking one and hitting one.

— Monday, March 4 Beggs 9, Okmulgee 2

Okmulgee:0-0-1-0-1-0-0 2-7-2 Beggs: 0-3-1-1-4-0-x 9-11-1 WP: Landon Helt LP: Brandon Simon HR: None — Tuesday, March 5

Beggs 11, Okmulgee 0

Beggs: 4 – 0 – 2 – 1 – 4 11 – 12 – 0 Okmulgee:0-0-0-0-0 0 – 3 -5 WP: Nate Melton LP: Daylan Callaway HR: None