bartlesville report: soccer, baseball, slow pitch softball
Bartlesville High School’s Lucas Vaclaw (8) controls the ball during earlier season action. The Bruins defeated Westmoore 2-1 in overtime on Friday. The Bruins host Bixby on Tuesday.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
Bartlesville High School’s Brooke Baker (6) participates in soccer action against Muskogee last week. The Lady Bruins fell to Westmoore 6-1 on Friday. The Lady Bruins host Bixby on Tuesday.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
By Mike Tupa
April 14, 2025
BARTLESVILLE AREA SPORTS REPORT
Following are reports of Bartlesville High School sports results late last week.
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BOYS SOCCER
The road to the playoffs is still an uphill climb, but the Bruins covered a big part of that distance with a 2-1 overtime win Friday at Westmoore.
Braxton Decker delivered the golden goal — off a corner kick by Jacob Robledo — only a few minutes into the first overtime.
Bartlesville — which is coached by Cedric Muteshi — improved to 4-4 overall, including a 4-1 record the past five matches.
More importantly, the Bruins improved to 2-1 in district with four district games remaining. Generally, four district wins is enough to clinch postseason play.
The Bruins had to dig deep to wrest the win from Westmoore. Trailing at halftime, 1-0, the Bruins tied it on an “own” goal, forced by Bruin attacker Austin Bastings after he penetrated into the Westmoore penalty area.
He did everything to earn the goal but get official credit, Bruin assistant coach Hosteen Walsh said.
On the other side of the field goalie Klayton Bastings anchored the Bruin defense.
“We got a pivotal win in terms of district play,” said Walsh. “This was a hard-fought win.”
Bartlesville plays host Tuesday to Bixby and travels Friday to Sand Springs.
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GIRLS SOCCER
After surging to a 2-0 record to open district play, the Lady Bruins collided into their first major obstacle, falling 6-1 on Friday to Westmoore (8-2, 3-0).
Rebekah Stephens launched Bartlesville’s only goal and also “played lights out,” said head coach Spencer White.
Young players Mia Grayson and Taylor Bradford also played some strong minutes, the coach added.
Bartlesville will be back home Tuesday to face Bixby and journey Friday to Sand Springs.
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Bartlesville High School’s Hunter Shea (9) waits for a throw to first base during earlier season action. The Bruins (15-9) defeated Marlow 8-6 at the Pryor Festival.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
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BASEBALL
No, the Bruins have not played — or at least most of the time — a full game at an ultimate level.
But when it comes to scrappiness and finding a way to win the difficult ones, few teams do it better.
They proved that Friday against defending state champion Marlow (4A) in a meeting at the Pryor Festival.
Ignited by Liam Buchanan’s walk and Jaxon Zaun’s two-out two-run double, Bartlesville rallied from a 6-2 deficit to win, 8-6.
Not only did this victory elevate Bartlesville to a 15-9 record — two more wins than all of last season — but it also prevented the team’s first losing week of the season.
Bartlesville finished 2-2 last week, including a split with Muskogee and a stomach-churning extra-inning loss to Chickasha.
A day after falling to Chickaha the Bruins toppled Marlow.
“Today was a good one,” Bruin head coach Cody Price said. “Marlow is no joke. … They’re good. Coach (John) Morgan is a Hall-of-Famer.”
Assisting Morgan is Eddie Herchock, who in 2014 guided Dewey High School baseball to the Class 4A state championship game.
Marlow — which returned much key talent from last season’s Class 4A title powerhouse — appeared primed to put Bartlesville away quickly on Friday.
The Marlow Outlaws piled up an early 2-0 lead, but saw the Bruins tie, 2-2. In the top of the sixth Marlow pushed four more runs across the plate to go ahead, 6-2.
But Bartlesville answered with five tallies in the bottom of the fifth — and held on.
During the pivotal fifth-inning rally Buchanan led off with a walk — but then saw the next two batters retired.
Then the Bruin uprising found its trajectory. Barrett Merciez and Kaden Romesburg drew back-to-back walks to load the bases for Zaun.
Returning to full action — following injury and recovery — earlier last week, Zaun zapped a double to drive home Buchanan and Merciez and trim Marlow’s lead to 6-4. Damien Niko then walked to reload the bases for Sam Marcella, who mashed a two-run single to tie the score, 6-6. Cooper Swaim followed with an infield single to plate the go-ahead run.
Bartlesville added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth — and relied on relief pitcher Swaim to shut out Marlow in the sixth and seventh innings and zip up the victory.
Hunter Shea started on the bump for Bartlesville and turned in five battling innings before giving way to Swaim.
Bartlesville’s offensive numbers included seven hits and seven RBI. Romesburg, Zaun and Marcella each drove in two runs. Merciez recorded the other RBI.
The Bruins are now just five victories shy of their fourth 20-win season in five years. They open this week with a road game Monday to Stillwater and will be home Tuesday to host Stillwater.
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Bartlesville High School’s Lexi Durao (9) gets ready at third base during an earlier season game. The Lady Bruins went 4-0 in the Chelsea Festival.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
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SLOWPITCH SOFTBALL
Like a nuclear-powered tank on a downhill charge the Bartlesville Lady Bruins smashed through all their opposition on Friday to finish 4-0 in the Chelsea Festival.
Bartlesville outscored its opponents by a run total of 53-26 while improving to 19-5 for the season.
With Kyle Minton as their head coach, the Lady Bruins could record on Monday or Tuesday their 20th win. Both games are at home.
Following are details of Friday’s wins.
BARTLESVILLE 9, FAIRLAND 5 — Unity can be a beautiful — and a winning — virtue.
Taking that concept to heart, the Lady Bruins got everyone involved in this victory.
The 15 hits were spread among nine different batters, seven players scored the nine runs and six hitters drove in at least one run.
Topping the Lady Bruins in hits were Lexi Durao with three (double, two singles), Isabell Daniels (home run, single), Savannah Alden (home run, single), Chloe Robbins (triple and single) and Jazmine Campbell (two singles).
Other plate stalwarts that recorded an extra-base hit included Lola Redington (double) and Kenzie Denny (triple).
Alden and Daniels drove in three and two runs, respectively.
Other offensive contributors included Maddie Czaja (single, run scored, RBI), Erin Bridendolph (run scored) and Karmandy Marsheck (single).
Marsheck also twirled the complete-game pitching keeper with Madie Nachbor as her catcher.
BARTLESVILLE 16, CLAREMORE 3 — Alden and Campbell both launched homers to fuel the Lady Bruins’ offensive fireworks display.
Through two innings Bartlesville led, 10-3, and never looked back.
Alden finished with four RBI followed by Daniels, Bridendolph, Durao and Campbell with two apiece.
Czaja set the pace at the top of the lineup by going 3-for-3 with three runs scored and one RBI. Durao added a double, sacrifice fly and two RBI.
The Lady Bruins registered no strikeouts.
Pitching the complete game was Alden. She turned in a seven hitter with one walk and no strikeouts.
BARTLESVILLE 12, TAHLEQUAH-SEQUOYAH 10 — In the closest game of the day, the Lady Bruins relied heavily on the long ball.
Daniels blasted two homers (and drove in four runs) followed by Alden, Redington, Bridendolph and Durao with one homer each, adding up to six.
Nachbor and Campbell each contributed a double.
Joining Daniels as the top run producers were Redington and Bridendolph with three and two RBI, respectively.
Denny, Campbell, Alden and Daniels each lashed two hits.
Marsheck gritted her teeth and battled to the rugged win in the pitching circle. She gave up 13 hits and three walks, but only allowed seven earned runs. Nachbor again rounded out the battery.
BARTLESVILLE 16, QUAPAW 8 — Bartlesville polished off its fourth victory of the day with Alden homering and driving in five runs.
Durao also put the ball over the wall on her way to four RBI. Nachbor added two RBI.
Czaja, Daniels, Durao, Alden, Marsheck, Redington and Nachbor each belted two hits to energize the team’s 18-hit assault.
Alden and Marsheck took turns pitching, with Marsheck collecting the win in relief.