Vaughan’s walk-off blast lifts Guthrie past Noble in district thriller

With two outs, two on, and down to their final strike, Guthrie found a way to deliver its most dramatic win of the season.

Senior Maddox Vaughan crushed a three-run walk-off home run over the right field wall to give Guthrie an 8-6 win over Noble Tuesday night at Squires Field in a key district showdown.

Even before the final swing, the game had all the makings of a classic. Tied 5-5 entering the seventh inning, Noble scratched across a run to take a 6-5 lead and put the Bluejays on the brink.

In the bottom half, Noble recorded the first two outs quickly, leaving Guthrie down to its final out.

Senior catcher Owen Wilder kept the inning alive with a single to right field, followed by another single to left by senior centerfielder Kellen Hirzel to put the potential winning run on base.

That set the stage for Vaughan.

The senior worked the count full at 3-2 before driving the pitch over the right field fence, setting off a celebration at home plate as Guthrie completed the comeback.

At the plate, Hayden Clymer, Easton Smedley, Wilder, and Hirzel each finished with two hits. Wilder and Vaughan led the way in run production with three RBIs apiece.

Vaughan also got the start on the mound, pitching 4 1/3 innings before Clymer came on in relief in the fifth inning and earned the win.

With the victory, Guthrie improves to 14-8 overall and 8-2 in District 5A-1, now tied with Noble for second place. Carl Albert remains atop the district standings at 10-0.

The win served as a strong response for the Bluejays after being run-ruled by Noble 12-2 the previous day. Despite the split, Noble holds the tiebreaker if the teams finish even in district standings. The top two teams will earn the right to host regional tournaments.

Guthrie will look to carry the momentum into a key district road game at Carl Albert on Monday before returning home Tuesday. But before that, the Jays will travel to Duncan for a two-day festival. Guthrie will be challenged with two quality teams in Lone Grove (20-3) on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. and Marlow (18-2) on Friday at 12:15 p.m.