Beau Daily rounded third base and decided to go for it.
The Blanchard sophomore had seen the throw from Tuttle senior shortstop Brady McAdoo to junior first baseman Hudson Heathco wasn’t particularly on target, and with the game tied and two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning, Daily knew how important a run would be.
Daily hustled to home plate and was stopped dead in his tracks as Heathco’s throw to sophomore catcher Dakotah Mallory was right on target.
The inning should have been over, but Daily’s instincts kicked in at that moment.
“Went home and throw beat me a little bit,” said Daily, who had entered as a pinch runner. “I did a little swim move.”
Amazingly, Daily’s move paid off, and he avoided the tag.
That proved to be the game-winning run as top-ranked Blanchard defeated No. 3 Tuttle 9-8 in the Class 4A state championship game Saturday at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark.
This was the third time out of the last three years that Blanchard (35-1) and Tuttle (34-8) met in the title game.
All of those matchups were decided by one run. Blanchard won in 2022, while Tuttle claimed the title in 2023.
The Lions got it done this time, securing their sixth championship.
“I wouldn’t expect anything less when Blanchard and Tuttle get in the finals,” Blanchard coach Josh Raney said. “If you look at the history since I’ve been there, they’ve all been one-run games. … I wouldn’t expect anything other than it to come right down to the end.”
Blanchard led 5-0 at the end of the second inning, but Tuttle battled back as it scored three runs in the third.
Tuttle trailed 8-4 heading into the sixth but scored four runs. Junior Hunter Watson was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and senior Easton Green drove in three on a two-out double before getting thrown out while trying to advance to third.
Daily’s run in the sixth was added following a grounder by junior Camden Hall.
Sophomore Wyatt Pendergraph earned the save after keeping Tuttle off the scoreboard in the seventh, although Tuttle junior JJ Johnson reached third base after hitting a single to make for an even more interesting ending.
Senior Gage Ellison pitched the first six innings for Blanchard and allowed seven hits and eight runs, although only four were earned.
Meanwhile, Blanchard seniors Brayson Carter and Jaxson Heard each had huge days at the plate.
Carter went 4 for 4, scored three runs and had two RBIs, while Heard finished 4 for 4 and drove in four runs.
“That’s what you expect from dudes, your leadoff (Carter) and your four-hole (Heard) that have been starters for four years,” Raney said. “You just show up, and the moment isn’t too big. Like I said, you can’t win the Kentucky Derby without a good horse, and we got a couple of them.”
This was Blanchard’s fourth straight championship appearance.
For Carter, this last one was beyond special.
A standout football player who played receiver and defensive back for the Lions, he was named The Oklahoman’s 2024 Little All-City Defensive Player of the Year and will continue his career with the Emporia State football program.
“We weren’t surprised by any ups or downs,” Carter said. “We kind of know what to do. We expect to be here. Being here for the fourth year in a row, you know what the expectation is, and we just had to go take it.”
Nick Sardis covers high school sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Nick? He can be reached at nsardis@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @nicksardis. Sign up for The Varsity Club newsletter to access more high school coverage. Support Nick’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.