DT Indians energized by Asher's three-run triple in fourth home win in a row
Bartlesville Doenges Toyota Indians Brett Eaves makes a play at third base during an earlier season game.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
Bartlesville Doenges Toyota Indians Liam Buchanan waits in the on deck circle during an earlier season game.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
By Mike Tupa
June 30, 2025
BARTLESVILLE AREA SPORTS REPORT
Rack up another DBAT League win for the Bartlesville Doenges Toyota Indians.
Energized by Brenden Asher’s wall-banging three-run triple, the Indians surged past ETEAM, 10-5, in college-aged wood-bat action last Wednesday at Rigdon Field inside Bill Doenges Memorial Stadium.
Asher’s bases-clearing three-bagger in the bottom of the fourth broke a 5-5 tie after the Indians had rallied from a 3-0 deficit.
This explosive contest — the first of a twinbill — took place in conjunction with KWON Night at Ballpark.
This victory also elevated Indians’ head coach John Pannell to an unofficial 376 career wins. This would put Pannell second on the all-time victory list, trailing Stan Walton (470) but ahead of Al Solenberger (363).
In Wednesday’s nightcap, ETEAM bounced back to win, 7-1. The Indians came out of the seven still six games below .500 (11-17).
However, the Indians are 10-12 in their last 22 games and 4-3 in their last seven home games.
Bartlesville Radio provides live play-by-play coverage and TV streaming for each Indians’ game, on KWON (1400-AM, 93.3-FM) and online streaming on KWONTV.com.
Following are summaries of the Indians’ most recent four games.
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OKC EXPRESS 8, BARTLESVILLE INDIANS 0 (June 24)
As one might surmise not a cornucopia of highlights in this one.
The Indians made a few rumblings — Jaxon Zaun drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the first, Eli Winters reached base as a hit batsman in the second frame, and Adrian O’Dell ripped a two-single in the third.
But the Express held on for the run-rule victory.
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Bartlesville Doenges Toyota Indians Hunter Shea slides into third base during an earlier season game.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
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OKC EXPRESS 7, BARTLESVILLE INDIANS 3 (June 24)
With Lathe Griggs on the bump the Indians kept it close most of the way.
In fact, Bartlesville grabbed the first lead when Brett Eaves singled home Zaun in the top of the third for the game’s first run. But the Indians left Sam Marcella stranded on third in a contest where runs were at a high premium.
The Express scratched home three runs in the third — two of them on a wild pitch — to go ahead, 3-1. They added another run in the fourth.
Through five innings the Express led by six runs, 7-1.
But Bartlesville finished off with some noise in the top of the sixth.
Grant Clark and Bryce Luelf both walked — sandwiched around a strikeout — to set the table for Liam Buchanan.
A wild pitch to Buchanan sent Clark scampering across home plate. After Stricklin earned a base on balls Zane Stricklin stepped to the plate and singled home Luelf to trim the Express lead to 7-3 with the potential tying run in the on-deck circle.
But the next two Indian batters were retired and the game then ended on a time limit.
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BARTLESVILLE INDIANS 10, ETEAM 5 (June 25)
Slow start, roaring rally.
That summed up the Indians storyline as they rolled to their fourth-straight home win.
Asher led off the bottom of the second with a single — but never advanced past second base as the Indians struggled to store the first two innings.
ETEAM, meanwhile, surged to a 3-0 lead on Indian starting pitcher Clark.
In the bottom of the third the Indians scored four runs to give Clark a boost.
The rally began with back-to-back singles by Buchanan and Stricklin.
Two batters later, Zaun lashed a single to plate Buchanan. Asher then drove home Stricklin.
Eddie Rice — who possesses one of the Indians’ hottest bats the past few games — followed with a two-round double to push Bartlesville ahead, 4-3. Rice would be left stranded.
ETEAM bounced back with two runs in the top of the fourth to reverse the lead, 5-4.
But, a four-run uprising in the bottom of the fourth elevated the Indians to the win.
It started with six straight base hits — one each by Stricklin, Hunter Shea, Zaun, Eaves, Asher and Rice.
As mentioned, Asher’s wallop was a three-run triple that plated Shea, Zaun and Eaves.
Rice followed Asher’s wall-banger with a double to bring Asher home to put the Indians ahead, 9-5.
They added another run in the fifth inning.
Pannell called on Zachariah Ray, a member of the Oklahoma Wesleyan University baseball team, to finish up in mound relief. He retired the ETEAM side in order in the top of the fifth.
He left two runners stranded in the sixth while striking out the last two batters.
Ray finished up by dispatching the ETEAM in the top of the seventh.
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ETEAM 7, BARTLESVILLE INDIANS 1 (June 25)
Eaves delivered a RBI double to score Bartlesville’s only run.
At that time the score was only 3-1.
But ETEAM added four more runs in the final two innings to wrap up the win.