“I was really excited to have our seniors come out and set the tone for the game. I was extremely proud of the way they handled the moment,” said Ada head coach Elliott Alberson.

Girdley was a perfect 3-for-3 with four runs batted in and three runs scored to spark Ada’s 12-hit attack.

Three other Cougars collected two hits each, as Pingleton went 2-for-3 with his homer, a triple, four runs batted in and a run scored. Reid Kinder and Walker Whitworth each went 2-for-3, as Kinder scored three runs and Whitworth scored twice.

Johnson, Garrett Beam and Tim Simpson were each 1-for-3 for Ada as Johnson knocked in two runs with his homer, while Beam and Simpson picked up one RBI apiece.

Ada starter Dalton Wolf worked four innings, allowing just one earned run (two total) off four hits with one walk. Pingleton pitched the fifth, allowing one earned run off one hit with one walk and a strikeout.

The Cougars set the tone with three first-inning runs, followed by two in the second and four each in the third and fourth innings.

Plainview — ranked No. 17 in Class 4A — tallied single runs each in the first three innings before Ada tied it up in the seventh with a three-run frame.

A leadoff walk to Ada's Mason Girdley set the stage for the rally. A groundout advanced Girdley to second base before Reid Kinder’s single brought him home to trim the deficit to 3-1.

Ada's Garrett Beam and Jake Boone were hit by pitches to load up the bases. Easton Pingleton was then plucked by a delivery to score Kinder and make it 3-2. Tim Simpson’s squeeze bunt, scoring Beam, tied the contest and sent it to extra innings.

In the ninth, the Cougars scored off an error as Boone reached first on a two-out miscue. Boone later scored off another error with what proved to be the game-winning score.

Simpson (1-0) got the win in relief of starter Micah Simmer. Simpson worked the final 1.2 innings and struck out three batters, and Simmer allowed seven hits and four walks while striking out seven in 7.1 innings of work.

“I like the way our kids grinded out this game. They kept working and today found a way to win. Hopefully, we’ve turned the corner and found a way to win games like these,” said Ada head coach Elliott Alberson.

Cougars Open With Run Rule Win Over Dickson

Ryan Cornell The Ada News

Regional Baseball Recap

First Round

Madill 2, Ada 1

The Cougars gift-wrapped Madill’s first run in the top of the second. Boo Escobedo went all the way to second on a one-out error, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on Joe Avery’s sacrifice fly to right field to give the Wildcats a 1-0 lead. It looked like Ada right fielder Scott Johnson may have a chance to throw Escobedo out at the plate, but his throw was cut off.

“We made mistakes that gives them their two runs. That’s kind of the name of the game. You have to make plays when you need to and we didn’t do that today,” Burch said.

Ada tied the game with a run in the bottom of the third. Jake Boone drew a one-out walk, stole second and scored on Tim Simpson’s clutch two-out base hit to left field.

The Wildcats scored what turned out to be the game-winner when Gabe Goff walked to lead off the fourth, stole second. Madill loaded the bases on  Joe Avery hit and a walk to Shelby Salyer. Nine-hole hitter Hunter Chapa then hit a clutch RBI single to center but Ada outfielder Mason Girdley threw Avery out trying to score from second to help the Cougars avoid further damage.

Girdley led off the bottom of the fourth with a base hit, but was doubled up when Easton Pingleton popped up to Madill first baseman Avery, who stepped on the bag well before Ada runner could get back.

From that point on, Madill hurler Goff retired 10 of the final 11 Cougar hitters he faced (he hit Pingleton with one out in the seventh).

Cody Johnson absorbed the hard-luck loss for the Cougars, allowing just three base hits while walking two and hitting two more.

“I thought Cody threw well enough for a win,” Birch said.

Ada also managed just three hits — singles by Simpson, Cody Johnson and Girdley.

Loser’s Bracket

Ada 6, Broken Bow 1

Boone allowed just two hits but also had to survive seven walks. He walked the bases loaded to start the bottom of the seventh, but got Halen George to ground out back to the mound that resulted in a 1-3-2 double play. Hunter Neal then hit a ground ball to first base for the final out of the game.

Cody Johnson had an RBI hit in the bottom of the first and he came around to score on a wild pitch to give Ada a quick 2-0 lead.

Scott Johnson blasted a two-run homer in a three-run Ada third inning to push the Cougar advantage to 5-0.

Broken Bow scored it lone run in the bottom of the fourth after Neal double to lead off and raced home on a base hit by Sean Gentry.  The Savages still had runners at first and second with one out at that point, but Boone got out of that jam with back-to-back strikeouts.

Ada added an insurance run in the fifth when Broken Bow reliever Neal beaned Cody Johnson, who advanced to third on a Girdley double and scored (for the third time in the game) on an RBI hit by Pingleton.

Jordan Boone helped his own cause with a 2-for-4 showing while Cody Johnson also had two hits to go with his three runs scored.

Ada recorded four double plays in the contest.