The Oklahoma City Comets just dropped the opening game of their Championship Series 13-11, a gut-wrenching loss that leaves them in a must-win affair tonight. They fought back with unbelievable resilience, trimming an eight-run deficit to make it close, but ultimately couldn’t complete the comeback, and now it’s do or die.
Ehrhard Was a One-Man Show in the Comeback Bid
If you’re looking for a bright spot, it’s gotta be Zach Ehrhard. While the Comets put up 11 runs, nobody came close to Ehrhard’s performance. Our leadoff man had a near-perfect day, reaching base in four of his five plate appearances. He was the only Comets hitter to earn multiple free passes, and he smashed a solo homer that represented the final run in that 13-11 thriller. Honestly, without Ehrhard’s incredible effort, there’s no way this team even sniffed a comeback. He was the engine, the spark, the whole dang fire.
Pitching Woes and Defensive Lapses Sink the Ship
Unfortunately, a single player can’t do it all, and the Comets’ pitching unit had a rough go. Young lefty Jackson Ferris, who clinched their spot in this series with a magnificent performance, had one of his worst outings of the season. He gave up six runs and recorded just one strikeout in three disappointing innings against the Aviators. Las Vegas jumped out to an early 6-1 lead, but the Comets clawed back with a four-run fifth, sparked by Ehrhard and capped by Ryan Fitzgerald’s only hit, a two-run single.
But just when things started looking up, the Aviators broke away again. They torched veterans Charlie Barnes and Jonathan Hernández for six runs in the bottom of the sixth. Lefty Ronan Kopp came in with the bases loaded trying to minimize the damage, but he too struggled with walks, allowing two inherited runners to score. Pitcher after pitcher battled walk problems, a pattern that plagued nearly every Comets pitcher in this game. To make matters worse, both teams combined for six errors, with the Comets committing two of their own. You simply can’t win a Championship Series game with that many mistakes.
Despite all that, the Comets, trailing by as many as eight runs, found a way to make it close again in the late innings. Ehrhard came through with his second solo shot of the evening, joining James Tibbs III, who hit one in the fourth. A five-run eighth inning largely came courtesy of Aviators’ defensive blunders, with two errors directly resulting in OKC runs. But close isn’t good enough in the Championship Series. The Comets are on the ropes, and they know they need better defensive displays and significantly sharper pitching. Tonight is absolutely massive. It’s win or go home, plain and simple.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by True Blue LA.
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