As the call from the umpire came, Stillwater High junior shortstop Brady Holliday sat at home plate and watched as Sapulpa began its celebration. Sophomore second baseman CJ Glasgow stood behind Holliday, helmet on, bat over his head, processing the moment.
The Pioneers trailed the entirety of Friday afternoon’s regional championship game at Couch Park, but they attempted a rally in the seventh. Stillwater scored off a single, then Holliday slid into home for a second run but was called out at the plate.
With that, the Pioneers’ season came to an end with an 8-4 loss to the Chieftains.
Stillwater coach Bryce Scalf said he disagreed with the call at home plate but immediately gathered up and consoled his team, telling them to keep their heads up. The emotions were raw after coming back to force an if-necessary game but coming up one win short of the state tournament.
“Our boys fought hard,” Scalf said. “We didn’t get any calls our way, and when it’s out of your control, there’s nothing you can do about it. Our boys fought hard the whole time, and I’m awful proud of them.”
The Pioneers (28-7) didn’t get off to the start they wanted. Sapulpa began the game with two singles, then scored on an error and hit a three-run home run, all before the Pioneers recorded their first out.
The Chieftains (23-17) closed the inning with a solo homer and took a 5-0 lead into the bottom of the first.
“We got punched in the mouth early in the ball game and things didn’t go our way in that first inning,” Scalf said. “But I’m really proud of our kids for staying in the game.”
Sophomore pitcher Stryker Warlick closed out the first inning in relief and calmed the game down. He tossed 4 2/3 innings, allowing four hits and three runs. He gave the Pioneers a chance, but the offense couldn’t quite get out of the hole.
Stillwater and Sapulpa traded solo-run innings in the second and third, then the Pioneers finally cut into the five-run deficit with a solo home run from junior Jack Hanson in the fourth. But the burst was short-lived, with two consecutive strikeouts and a groundout to end the inning.
Bradyn Pratt and CJ Allee pitched the final two innings for the Pioneers and surrendered just one hit and no runs to give Stillwater a chance in the sixth and seventh. The sixth came up empty again with two more strikeouts and no hits. Sapulpa pitcher Ryan Angell was effective on the mound, pitching a complete game with eight hits and eight strikeouts.
The Pioneers loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the seventh and put themselves in position for a final rally. Later, with two outs, Daniel Wulfert singled, scoring a run, then nearly bringing Holliday home, which would have cut the deficit to three with the tying runs on base.
It wasn’t the ending the Pioneers drew up. They won a district title for the second straight season, then, after losing to Sapulpa on Wednesday, defeated Enid and won a rematch with the Chieftains to pull within a game of a regional title and state tournament berth.
The Pioneers weren’t able to pull out a win in a tough spot like they had several times this season, and even like they did twice the day before, but Scalf said he’s proud of his first Stillwater team.
“Man, they’re resilient. They’re tough. They’re high-character kids,” Scalf said. “It’s been an awesome team, man.”