COLLINSVILLE — It was an up and down — and fortunately for Fort Gibson, back up — weekend for Fort Gibson.

Saturday’s 4-0 victory against Collinsville was the finishing touch on getting the Tigers their first ticket to the Class 4A state baseball tournament since 2003. The Tigers will play Weatherford at 5 p.m. Thursday in a quarterfinal matchup at Shawnee High School.

It wasn’t a smooth ride getting there.

Before Friday’s dreadful 10-0 shutout loss to Collins-ville, Fort Gibson coach Randy Smith said that he had a bad feeling about the way that game would turn out. There was plenty of success hangover from Thursday.

The Red-White Rumble with Hilldale turned into a Red-White Runaway with the Tigers’ 23-1 thrashing of their rival in the opening-round game. Fort Gibson erupted for 18 runs on 13 hits in the fourth inning, sending 22 batters to the plate. The Tigers scored 13 of the runs before the first out in the inning was made, a pop out by winning pitcher Taylor Richey. A three-run home run by Grant Mitchusson, the Tigers’ No. 9 batter, highlighted the inning. He also had an RBI single in the outburst.

Fort Gibson then beat Collinsville 10-6, and it was just coming too easy.

“I think it all just got to us,” he said. “We got in late last night, we didn’t know who we were going to play all day — I think for a while there the kids thought they were going to get Hilldale again — I was afraid that we were going to come out flat and we did.”

Before Saturday’s matchup with the same Cardinal squad, Smith was feeling much more confident. The wind was blowing in, he had Taylor Richey on the mound, and the mood surrounding the young Fort Gibson bunch was entirely different than it had been a day earlier.

As it turned out, Richey confirmed Smith’s posititive attitude. The Fort Gibson right-hander dominated a potent Collinsville lineup, allowing just two hits and three walks, striking out five in seven shutout innings as the Tigers earned a 4-0 victory.

“I had a talk with him this morning,” Smith said. “I told him that I set it up this way, I didn’t throw him yesterday on purpose and that win or lose I wanted him on the mound today.”

Things didn’t quite start out the way that Fort Gibson (25-7) wanted. The Tigers were retired in order in the top of the first. Robbie Nunez struck out to lead things off and Brandon Jackson was hit by a pitch. Cale Parnell then fouled out on a hit and run and Jackson was doubled off of first.

Then in the bottom of the first, Cardinals’ leadoff batter Riley Murr roped a double into right field, immediately putting Collinsville in striking distance of an early lead.

But for Richey (7-3), that extra-base hit was just what the doctor ordered.

“After that, everything sort of clicked for me,” he said. “The hit was my fault, I left a two-seam up and he hit it hard, but after that I really felt in control.”

After allowing the single he struck out Brad George swinging, then intentionally walked the dangerous Kevin Phillips before retiring Garrett Tole and D.J. Neighbors in order to get out of the inning.