Sulphur’s season came to an end last week at regionals, as the Lady Bulldogs fought hard but came up just short of advancing to super regionals.
Sulphur (17-12) fell 4-3 to regional host and champion Newcastle on Thursday after battling back through the consolation side of the bracket.
Sulphur fell in the opener to Mount St. Mary’s 9-4 on Wednesday before beatingAnadarko later that day 14-2 to stay alive.
The Bulldogs avenged the loss to Mount St. Mary’s on Thursday, eliminating the Rockets in a 4-3 win before falling to Newcastle later that day.
“This group by the end of the season really rose above all expectations,” said Sulphur head coach Heath Gilbert. “To go to regionals and fight their way to the championship and only get beat by the host team 4-3 was a really great accomplishment.”
Gilbert complimented his pitchers, Kinsley Rochelle and Cheyenne Ruth, for battling through injuries and adversity throughout the season.
“She pitched an outstanding season, especially with an early injury to Cheynenne,” he said. “Chey was able to come back for regionals and pitched an unbelievable game against Newcastle to only lose 4-3. They both have a great future with the Bulldogs.”
Gilbert also got contributions from several underclassmen to help pace the Bulldogs this season, including freshmen Zoli May, Destrie Muck and Jordyn Johnston.
“They really stepped up and filled major spots for us,” Gilbert said. “Zoli led our team in batting average.”
Several juniors also played big roles for Sulphur, as their improvement throughout the season helped put the Bulldogs in a good spot in the postseason.
“Juniors Landri Oxley, Paige Collins, Rylee Norman and Sydnie Rollin improved greatly every week and helped carry this team till the end,” Gilbert said. “Rylee and Landri led our team in defense stats.”
Gilbert’s team battled through injuries for the entirety of the season but the Bulldogs battled and continued to fight.
“This year we were hit hard with injuries throughout the year,” he said. “It made it tough at times but everyone stepped up and some days, people had to play different positions.”
The longtime head coach praised his seniors for their leadership and guidance through the challenging season.
“My seniors Gracie Ratchford, Lilly Brooks and Taylor Patrick, I can’t thank them enough for being there every day,” Gilbert said. “They were great leaders of this program on and off the field. They helped keep the winning tradition going.”
The head coach also praised his coaching staff and parents for their support during their season.
“I would like to also thank the parents for all the help all year,” he said. “Also thanks to Coach Barnes for his hard work and calling pitches every day. This season helped build us to be great for next year and years ahead.”
May led the team with a .406 average. She had six doubles and 16 RBIs in her freshman season. She also had a team high 37 runs. Muck hit .371 with a team-high seven doubles and 29 RBIs. She had the lone homer for Sulphur this season.
Norman hit .362 for Sulphur with 18 RBIs, while Rochelle also had 18 RBIs to go along with five doubles and a .328 average.
Rochelle made 21 starts for Sulphur in 24 appearances. She had a 2.99 ERAwith a 1.50 WHIP. She struck out 154 batters in 135 innings.
