NRC, Dale softball; Dale baseball
It was the middle of the sixth inning and the score was tied 0-0 when North Rock Creek coach Chance Griffin took a few steps toward the third base coaching box.
Then he turned back to the dugout, where his team was getting out helmets and bats and getting ready to hit in the fast pitch regional finals at Purcell.
“Score right here,” he told the team. “And you’ll go to state.” Weighty words for any team standing one game
Weighty words for any team standing one game away from a spot in the state tournament, but even more so for the Lady Cougars, who were eligible for the fast pitch playoffs for the first time and had come to the regional tournament as the second-seeded team out of four.
Freshman shortstop Morgan Campbell, who had made a diving catch of a line drive for an out in the top of the inning, was leading off NRC’s turn at bat and ripped a single up the middle. Right fielder Katie Larson, who was 7-for-10 in the
Right fielder Katie Larson, who was 7-for-10 in the tournament, followed with a double to score Campbell and suddenly the Lady Cougars had a 1-0 lead.
By the time the inning was over, they had a 6-0 lead and their coach looked like a prophet.
Three more outs on defense, and they had their berth in the state tournament and a story line that read like a Hollywood script.
Last season was the first for the school to play varsity fast pitch, but the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association didn’t allow the team to participate in the playoffs after originally saying it would compete in Class B.
North Rock Creek’s high school was three years old and each freshman class was bigger than the previous, and the enrollment was far larger than that of a Class B school.
School officials appealed and offered to compete in any class - including 6A - if the team could just get the chance to play.
No dice, and so the focus turned to this season, where the Lady Cougars competed in Class 3A.
They won two tournament championships, finished second in the district and went to regionals with a 26-7 record. They took care of their business and now a date with Tishomingo awaits at Hall of Fame Stadium.
“We took it personally to make sure that the first time we were able to participate in the playoffs that we’d make it count,” Griffin said. “They competed every single inning of this regional - whether it was defensive diving plays or getting bunts down, they made all the plays.
“It’s unbelievable, really. I knew last year that we’d be pretty good this year, and they’ve pushed each other so much and took it to another level.”
While NRC was writing its story, the Dale Lady Pirates were doing what they always do - qualifying for state.
An elite team seemingly since statehood, the DLPs have made it to state for the last 10 years and been in the state finals the last eight seasons, with championships in four of them.
No matter what’s happened in the past, success never gets old, said coach Andy Powell.
“It sure doesn’t,” he said. “I’m as fired up and motivated this year as I’ve been.
“The first couple of weeks this season, we were not very good because of injuries and some inexperience, but we’ve gotten healthier and some young ones have gotten some experience and we’ve gotten better.”