By Chuck Reherman
Sports Editor
EDMOND – What Will Rogers said about the weather in Oklahoma rings true for the district 6A-1 baseball race.
If you don’t like what you see today, just wait til tomorrow.
The district race got a little more scrambled on Monday as Yukon dropped into a two-way tie for third after falling to Edmond North 2-1 at North.
The Millers are now 5-4 in district play (11-10 overall) and tied with Edmond Memorial for third place. Mustang slipped to fifth after losing 5-4 to district leader Norman North and Edmond North remained in second at 7-2.
Memorial still has its series with Norman North and Edmond North has to play Mustang.
The Millers have Putnam City North (4-5) and Putnam City West (1-8) remaining in their district schedule.
It was another pitchers’ dual on Monday and the Millers had their chances to win, including having the tying and go ahead runner on base in the seventh inning.
“We pitched pretty good again today,” Miller head coach Kevin James said. “We had guys on, had opportunities, we just couldn’t get a hit when we needed one. That was it. Josh (Sanders) pitched good, we played good defense, we had our chances at the end, we were in it, we just needed that key hit.
“We battled with them,” he said. “That lefty they have is a good little pitcher. We will just have to cinch them and go out and get after it the next day.
“If you can keep them (North) under three or four runs you have a shot. We had an opportunity and we had guys on all day. Their pitcher was just hard to figure out. He can throw all of his pitches, go away, go in, soft stuff down. He’s a good pitcher.”
The Millers did have a chance to tie or even take the lead in the seventh inning after Matt Wilson was hit by a pitch and Nollan Koon walked. Jett Lodes bunted the runners to second and third.
Wilson scored on a passed ball and after a walk to Braylen Wimmer, the Millers had the tying run on third and the go ahead run on second.
North relief pitcher Carson Pierce, though, got the next two batters out to end the game and pick up the save.
The Millers had two runners on in the second on singles by Carson Benge and Mason McIntyre. But North pitcher Caleb Isaacs struck out the side to end the inning.
The Millers had two more runners on in the fourth and two in the sixth, but stranded all.
North scored their two runs in the third after hitting into a doubleplay and using an RBI double from Colby Entwistle.
“These district games keep getting bigger and bigger,” James said. “We have five huge games remaining in district to decide where we go. The main thing is we have to take care of our business and things will fall where they will.”
The Millers will travel to Southmoore for a single game on Thursday and returns to district play on Monday, hosting PC North on Monday at 4:30 p.m. The teams meet again at 4:30 p.m. at Putnam City North in the second game of the series.
