Muldrow takes on Hilldale in regional opener

The Lady Bulldogs travel to Hilldale on Wednesday to begin play in their Class 4A regional tournament.

Muldrow, which downed Oologah-Talala 10-2 and 13-2 in last week‚s playin series at Oologah, will meet Hilldale, the District 4A-6 champion, at noon before second-seeded Berryhill and thirdseeded Poteau play at 2 p.m.

The Muldrow-Hilldale loser takes on the Berryhill-Poteau loser at 4 p.m. and the winners of the first two games meet at 6 p.m.

The double-elimination tournament resumes on Thursday with games at noon and 2 p.m. and the if-necessary game is slated for 4 p.m. The regional champion advances to next week‚s state tournament.

Muldrow was fifth in the District 4A-8 standings.

Muldrow 13, Oologah 2 (Game 2) The Lady Bulldogs scored a combined 10 runs in the first three innings Thursday afternoon at Oologah as Muldrow won its play-in series to advance to this week‚s Class 4A regional tournament at Hilldale.

Muldrow registered three runs in the bottom of the first inning, four in the second, three in the third and three in the sixth of the runrule contest. The Lady Mustangs scored a run apiece in the fourth and fifth frames.

Kiki Wight‚s double drove in Muldrow‚s first run in the opening inning and in the second frame base hits by Wight, Amaya Duran and Kaydence Young produced runs.

Wight went 3-for-3 at the plate with a double and a triple and Danica Tune (2 doubles), Duran, Young and Ashley Price had two hits apiece. Allison Goodwin also hit a double in the game.

Driving in the Lady Bulldogs‚ runs were Wight and Duran (3 RBIs apiece) and Tune, Goodwin and Young (2 each).

Scoring Muldrow‚s runs were Tune and Wight (4 each), Duran and Price (2 apiece) and Leah Johnson (1).

Jaydin Dean (6.0 innings) picked up the win after striking out five and walking one while giving up six hits and one earned run.

Oologah committed 10 errors in the game and Muldrow had three.

Muldrow 10, Oologah 2 (Game 1) In the first game of the play-in series the Lady Bulldogs erased a 1-0 deficit by scoring four runs in the top of the third inning before adding four runs in the fifth and two in the sixth.

Muldrow registered its first run on an error in the third inning before Kiki Wight‚s home run drove in three more runs.

In the top of the fifth Amaya Duran and Kaydence Young hit RBI doubles for the Lady Bulldogs.

Oologah scored a run apiece in the second and third innings.

Allison Goodwin (2 hits) and Wight, Duran, Young and Ashley Price (1 apiece) registered Muldrow‚s hits in the game and driving in runs were Wight and Duran (3 RBIs apiece) and Young (2).

Scoring for the Lady Bulldogs were Wight (3 runs), Danica Tune (2) and Goodwin, Duran, Leah Johnson, Young and Lani Israel (1 each).

In picking up the win inside the circle Jaydin Dean (7.0 innings) struck out five and walked two while allowing six hits and two earned runs.

Oologah committed six errors in the game and Muldrow had one.

Lady Bulldogs‚ head coach Luke Folkerts was pleased with his team‚s performance in Thursday‚s play-in series.

“We went and played Tahlequah on Tuesday and we saw a lefty pitcher up there and we saw a lefty yesterday in that first game,” Folkerts said. “Oologah‚s got a good left-handed pitcher. Coincidentally it ended up being great for us. It was about the same speed, same spin. Our girls hit the ball really well the first game. We had two big innings. Kiki Wight continues to tear the cover off the ball. She hit a home run and hit one off the center field wall her next at-bat. I thought everybody‚s approach at the plate yesterday was as well as it has been all year in both games, not just the first game. From top to bottom we all swung it really well and defensively I thought we played really well as well.

“Jaydin (Dean), our freshman pitcher, pitched really good. She pitched both games and was lights-out.”

“I couldn‚t have asked for a better performance from everyone, top to bottom. We struggled a couple of games before that but that‚s kind of just how our season‚s been. We‚ve got some youth in a lot of spots. It‚s been a roller coaster but it‚s a ride we‚ve enjoyed and we‚re giving ourselves the opportunity to go advance and that‚s all I can ask for.”