Oklahoma high school baseball: Washington, Perry advance to Class 3A state title game

EDMOND — The 2024 Class 3A Oklahoma high school baseball state semifinals were held Friday at Oklahoma Christian University.

Here are recaps from each game:

More: Class 6A-2A state tournament schedule, scores

Washington 3, Mount St. Mary 1

There was little doubt what version of Washington right-handed pitcher Marlon Moore would take the mound in a pressure-packed situation.

“Victory Marlon,” as Warriors coach Jeff Kulbeth calls his senior.

In fact, Kulbeth was so confident in Moore that he turned to assistant coach Brad Lucas early in the day and said “Victory Marlon” was coming.

“‘Victory Marlon’ the last two years has been really good for us,” Kulbeth said.

That certainly did not change against Mount St. Mary.

Marlon, a Cowley (Kansas) College signee, efficiently worked around seven hits and threw a complete game in a 3-1 win over the Rockets to advance to a third straight state championship game.

The Warriors (33-4) will face Perry at 3 p.m. Saturday at Shawnee High School. A win gives them three straight titles.

“Just special,” Kulbeth said as he fought back emotions. “Just special. When kids buy into your program, this is what you get. This is what you get.”

Washington’s Easton Berglan broke a 1-all tie in the fifth with a two-run double.

The day really belonged to Moore.

He drove in the game’s first run with an RBI groundout in the first. He even stole a base.

But it was his pitching that changed the game.

He did not throw more than 15 pitches in an inning and totaled 86. He struck three.

More importantly, he showed a bulldog approach, never backing down even after Mount St. Mary’s Maddox Stanley tied the game with an RBI single in the third.

Mount St. Mary (23-9) had just three hits — all singles — and a walk the rest of the way against Moore.

That’s just “Victory Marlon,” a nickname earned after he pitched Washington past Victory Christian in the state quarterfinals the past two seasons.

“I was in the zone,” Moore said about Friday’s outing. “I don’t think I talked to anyone before the game.”

Perry 4, Salina 2

For the first time in school history, Perry has a chance to win a baseball state championship.

The Maroons (37-6) rallied late to stun Salina 4-2 in the opening game of the day, advancing to the title game for the first time in nine state tournament appearances.

Perry, playing in its second straight tournament, took a 3-2 lead in the fifth on a sacrifice fly from senior Jose Tiscareno, who scored an insurance run in the seventh on a single by junior Kylind Williams.

Tiscareno also drove in a run on a sacrifice fly in the first. Perry also scored a run on an error in the inning.

Salina, making its third straight appearance in the tournament, rallied for two runs in the second to tie the game.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma high school baseball Class 3A 2024 state tournament results