Doenges Toyota Indians unleash thunder bats to advance to tourney semifinals
Bartlesville Doenges Toyota’s Bryce Sickler pitches during an earlier season game. The Indians played in the 2025 Mickey Huskey Lockeroom Twin Lakes Classic in Mountain Home, Ark. over the weekend. The following is an article on the Thursday through Saturday games.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
By Mike Tupa
June 16, 2025
BARTLESVILLE AREA SPORTS REPORT
(Note: Live play-by-play action of Bartlesville American Legion Baseball can be heard on KWON (1400-AM, 93.3-FM) and can be seen live on KWONTV.)
According to the old country song, “Give Me Forty Acres (To Turn This Rig Around).”
The Bartlesville Doenges Toyota Indians didn’t require 40 acres but only trips to Missouri and Arkansas to make a gear-popping U-Turn.
Following a rugged ride the first six games — filled with more valleys and twisting hair-pin cliffs than smooth rises — the Indians have made a startling reversal the past two weekends. It started at the recent tournament in Arkansas when they blitzed to a 3-0 record to open it up, but hit a rough stretch the final three games.
However, this weekend at the 2025 Mickey Huskey Lockeroom Twin Lakes Classic in Mountain Home, Ark., the Indians’ turnaround is close to a 180.
They finished 2-1 in pool play — but their only loss was a one-run thriller decided by a walk-off error.
In their other two pool games, they surged past their opponents and into Sunday’s semifinals (June 15).
Following are more details on their pool games Thursday through Saturday.
PONTOTOC, Miss. 3, BARTLESVILLE INDIANS 2
They’ve created remedies that treat, or purport to treat a headache, diarrhea, a bad cough, hair loss, facial blemishes, allergies and a host of other woes.
But they’ve yet to discover a cure for a broken heart.
The Indians probably could have used a double-dose after this one.
First, you’ve got to understand this was a whale of a fiercely competitive game. But competitive in the sense of dueling incompetent clutch offenses.
Both teams left at least 10 runners stranded — Bartlesville left the bases loaded twice.
But at least the Indians scrapped and battled and clawed and gave themselves a chance — a sign of insatiable character.
Pontotoc struck for the first two runs while the Indians continued to produce baserunners but no tallies.
However, finally in the bottom of the fourth Bartlesville made its move — thanks to a Dewey connection named Eddie Rice.
With one out and the bases loaded, Rice ripped a single to drive home Brenden Asher and Brett Eaves and knot the score, 2-2. The Indians went on to load the bases again, but Rice remained stranded at third.
That would be a painful missed opportunity.
The teams remained deadlocked at 2-2 — but lived on the edge — for the next two innings.
In the bottom of the fifth, Pontotoc loaded the bases with one out. But Indians reliever Zane Griggs slammed the door on the rally with a strikeout and a fielder’s choice.
Pontotoc threatened again in the sixth — putting a runner on third — but Griggs got the final batter to pop up to Rice in center.
The Indians put a runner on base in the top of the seventh — but failed to cash in.
In the bottom of the seventh, Griggs recorded two quick outs. But then he gave up a single and a walk. Pontotoc won it a couple of minutes later on an infield error.
Like the down-in-the-dumps fisherman, the Indians knew this was a big one they let get away.
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BARTLESVILLE INDIANS 6, MOUNTAIN HOME MACLEOD 4
Perhaps the Indians felt some of the setback hangover going into this one, giving up an early 3-0 lead.
It could have been worse. In the bottom of the first the Indians turned a double play with the bases loaded to close the door on a MacLeod rally.
But through two innings, MacLeod still owned a 3-0 lead.
Then came the top of the third — perhaps one of the Indians’ most important innings of the season.
It started off with the Indians loading the bases and then slowly emptying them. Some of the key plays included Grant Clark singling home Jaxon Zaun and Asher and Eaves both drawing bases-loaded walks. The Indians scored six times in the third to double up McCloud, 6-3.
In the bottom of the third, Lathe Griggs retired the MacLeod side in order. Bartlesville loaded the bases in the top of the fourth — but put up a goose-egg.
However Bartlesville didn’t need any more runs, thanks to its pitching and fielding.
Eli Winters hurled a perfect inning of relief in the sixth — including pop-ups to Asher at first and Hunter Shea in left.
In the bottom of the seventh, reliever Bryce Sickler got two outs but gave up a run. With the bases loaded, Pannell called on Sam Marcella to go to the mound and close it out. Marcella responded by striking out the next batter to earn the save.
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BARTLESVILLE INDIANS 13, BAKERFIELD (Mo.) 1
The Indians’ bats began popping in this one.
Much of their offensive success this season has revolved around free passes, aggressive baserunning, errors, wild pitches and passed balls.
But in this one they unleashed the thunder in their sticks — at least a powerful jolt — to wrap up a quick run-rule victory that complemented the worthy combative effort of pitcher Zane Sticklin.
Stricklin piled up approximately a half-dozen strikeouts in just three innings and wrapped up his gem by retiring the side in order in the top of the third to set up the Indians’ final push.
Bartlesville began its offensive assault by scoring nine runs in the bottom of the first.
It started with a hit batsman (Zaun), two stolen bases by Zaun and a dropped strike three against Kael Siemers that brought Zaun home and put Siemers on base.
Asher followed with a single to plate Siemers and make it a 2-0 game.
After Eaves drew a walk, the next two Indians were retired, but the Indians kept on coming like a tsunami on its second wind.
With the bases loaded (Shea at third, Marcella at second, Bryce Luelf at first, who was replaced by courtesy runner Clark), Zaun stepped up and ripped a two-run single. Siemers then rapped an infield single to plate Clark and move Zaun to third.
Zaun came home on an error. Moments later, another error plated Siemers to make it a 9-0 game. Bakerfield then finally got out of the inning.
Stricklin allowed a pair of base hits and a run in the top of the second. But in the third inning he mowed down the Bakerfield side like a freshly-tuned lawnmower.
That allowed the Indians to score four times in the bottom of the third and end the game on a 12-run run-rule.
The final finish started out with Luelf lashing a lead-off infield single. Zaun then walked and Siemers went to first as a hit batsman to juice the bags for Asher. He poked a two-run single to increase the lead to 11-1.
Eaves then stepped up and blasted an 0-and-2 pitch for a two-double to achieve the run-rule.