Jeff Cali Sports Editor
The Ada News
Ada —
The 15th-ranked Ada Cougars wrapped up a Class 4A District championship with decisive 7-1 and 11-1 victories over Dickson Thursday afternoon at Cougar Field.
Ada advances to next week’s regional play with an 19-6 record while the Comets are done at 4-22.
The Cougars compiled 17 hits in 12 innings of district play while allowing just the two runs and committing just two errors.
“We hit the ball decently and got some hits when we had guys on base. I thought that was a big key,” Ada head coach Robbie Burch said. “That's kind of been our Achilles’ heel all year long. Usually we pitch and play defense pretty well, but we don’t get hits when we need them (during losses). We did that today.”
Ace Jordan Boone and efficient reliever Tim Simpson combined for a three-hitter in the opener before Cody Johnson dominated the Dickson lineup in Game 2. Johnson would scatter four hits (three in the third) and strike out seven in Ada’s five-inning, run-rule win.
“Both Jordan and Cody threw well, and we played good defense. Tim Simpson also came in and did a good job in the first game,” Burch said.
The first-year Ada coach said its hard to predict where his team will be assigned for a 4A Regional Tournament.
“It doesn’t matter where we go, we just have to go play. We’ll go play against whoever it is,” Burch said.
Regional baseball pairings are expected to be released Monday by the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association.
Game 1
Ada 7, Dickson 1
Tim Simpson blasted a three-run homer in a five-run outburst in the bottom of the fourth inning to snap a 1-1 tie and give the Cougars some breathing room.
Mason Girdley reached on an error to lead off the inning and after he stole second, Easton Pingleton roped an RBI triple into the gap in right-center to give Ada a lead the Cougars would never relinquish.
Jackson Boone plated Pingleton with an RBI double to left and after Jordan Boone walked, Simpson belted his home run over the wall in left-center to push the Ada lead to 6-1.
“The kids did a good job responding after they scored. After that, we kind of slammed the door on them,” Burch said.
Pingleton scored the Cougars' final run in the bottom of the fifth when he singled, stole second and scored on an infield hit-and-run by Walker Whitworth.
Ada took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Simpson blooped a one-out single that Dickson shortstop Josh Brock couldn't quite catch up to in shallow center field. He advanced to second on a base knock by Cody Johnson and scored on Scott Johnson's RBI hit to the right side.
Jordan Boone, who allowed just two hits in five innings of work, got into a jam in the top of the fourth after walking two of the first three hitters he face. After Landon Gross singled to load the bases, Dickson finally got on the scoreboard when Shawn McClellan coaxed a two-out, bases-loaded walk. But Boone avoided further damage when he struck out Preston Moore to end the inning.
Simpson took over for Boone on the bump in the top of the sixth and recorded outs against six of the seven batters he faced, allowing just a one-out single to Moore in the top of the seventh.
Pingleton led Ada's 11-hit attack, finishing 3-for-3 with two runs scored. Simpson and Cody Johnson added two hits each for the Cougars.
Game 2
Ada 11, Dickson 1
Although Ada scored in every inning, it was another five-run outburst in the fourth inning — this time the top half — that helped the Cougars gain control of the contest and boost their lead to 10-0.
Mason Girdley delivered a one-out, two-RBI single to highlight the Cougar scoring spree while Cody Johnson added an RBI hit. Ada also took advantage of two of the seven Dickson errors in the contest during the fourth-inning uprising.
Cody Johnson would help his own cause with a pair of walks, an RBI single and an RBI groundout. Jackson Boone, Johnson’s courtesy runner, also scored twice.
Girdley finished with two hits, two RBIs and two runs scored for the Cougars while Jake Boone finished 2-for-2 with two runs scored and a walk from the nine hole.
Jaime Reed led Dickson, going 2-for-2 with a double while scoring the Comets’ lone run via a rare Ada error.
