Though the Ardmore Tigers came up short in their 6-1 loss to the Satsuma Gators in the 2021 AHSAA 5A Softball State Championship game Wednesday afternoon, it was a season and tournament they’ll never forget with a runner-up finish. In Ardmore softball head coach Stephen Baugh’s mind, they’re all winners.

“Words can’t describe how proud I am of what these players have accomplished. The work that they have put in from when it started for me five years ago, I’m just proud that they got to experience this opportunity,” he said. “It didn’t end like we wanted it to on the scoreboard, but at the end of the day it’s the work and the preparation they have put in that makes them winners.”

Briona Dailey was the only Tiger to get a hit in the game. Ardmore got on the board first in the top of the third on a fielder’s choice, scoring Sydney Sanders.

Satsuma tallied three runs in the bottom of the fourth and another three runs in the sixth to give them a 6-1 lead and a 5A state championship.

Ardmore’s Ella Singletary, who started every game in the tournament and was extremely efficient in the circle all tournament, pitched 5 1/3 allowing five earned runs on eight hits, zero walks with three strikeouts. Madison Sawyer pitched for the Gators allowing one unearned run on just one hit, two walks with four strikeouts.

Game results

Ardmore 4, Alexandria Valley Cubs 1

A two run sixth inning by Ardmore broke the 1-1 tie and ultimately led to a 4-1 victory. Alexandria scored early in the bottom of the first on an RBI groundout by Rylee Gattis. From that point on, Singletary was in the zone for the Tigers in the circle. She pitched a complete game of two hit ball and allowed only that one run. She struck out five. Ardmore tied things up at 1-1 in the top of the fourth on an error by the Valley Cubs catcher. In the sixth inning, Brooke Phillips put down a perfectly placed bunt that was intended to be a sacrifice, but due to another error by Alexandria, Briona Dailey came around to score. In the next at-bat, AG King hit a sacrifice fly to left field to score Madey Simmons. Ardmore added one more to their lead to make it 4-1 and secure the victory on a Bo Riley line drive RBI single to center field scoring pinch runner Elizabeth Riley.

The Tigers finished with four hits. Raegan Clem, Singletary and Sanders each had one while Riley finished 1-for-1 with one RBI.

Ardmore 2, Faith Academy Rams 1

In a rematch from Tuesday’s 2-0 loss to the Rams, Ardmore had their second chance and they certainly didn’t disappoint. Dailey put the Tigers up 1-0 in the top of the first on an RBI single. The Tigers didn’t score again until the fourth when King launched an RBI triple over the right fielder’s head scoring Daly. That second run proved to be imperative for the Tigers as the Rams finally got on the board in the seventh on a two out RBI single by Faith Academy’s Gaby Stagner. The Rams left the bases loaded in what was a heart pounding inning for both teams and all of the fans in attendance when Singletary got Faith’s Taylor Skelton to pop out in the infield ending the game.

Singletary pitched another complete game allowing one earned run on six hits, two walks with four strikeouts. Ardmore finished with six hits. Dailey had two with one RBI, King had two with a double and a triple and Riley had a line drive single over the third baseman’s head in the sixth. This game pushed Ardmore into the championship game.

“In our program, we work our tails off and to see our players, parents and the community get rewarded it’s a great feeling,” Baugh said.

Ardmore 5, Satsuma 3

This was the first of two games that Ardmore needed to win to be crowned state champions as they were coming out of the loser’s bracket after Tuesday’s 2-0 loss to Faith Academy. Satsuma came into this game undefeated in the double elimination format. Despite giving up 11 hits, Singletary was once again on her game in the circle for the Tigers. Out of the three runs that were scored by the Gators, only one was earned. She had one walk with three strikeouts.

Katlein Booker started for the Gators. She pitched 2 1/3 allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits, one walk with one strikeout. Belle Sheffield came in relief of Booker in the top of the third with two outs. She pitched 4 2/3 giving up three runs on six hits, one walk with three strikeouts.

Satsuma’s Hayden Andrews blasted a solo home run off the center field scoreboard in the bottom of the first to give her team a 1-0 lead.

Ardmore was quick to tie things up at 1-1 on an RBI bunt single by Singletary scoring Addy Atchley who reached base to lead off the inning on an error.

Phillips gave the Tigers a 2-1 lead in the top of the third on a line drive single to left field bringing around Daly from second base.

Clem launched a solo home run over the center field fence to lead off the fifth for Ardmore to increase the lead by one. But the Tigers weren’t done in the inning until Phillips knocked in her second RBI of the game on a bloop single to right field that scored Riley.

Satsuma got two of those two runs back in the bottom of the sixth bringing the score to 4-3, one by way of an error and the other on a sacrifice fly by Sophie Page.

King hit a sacrifice fly to score Riley in the top of the seventh to increase Ardmore’s lead to 5-3 and that was the final score.

Ardmore had 10 hits. Singletary, Sanders, Phillips and Riley each had two hits. Clem and Atchley had one hit apiece including Clem’s solo home run.Phillips had two RBIs in her three plate appearances while Singletary had one. King had one RBI in her four trips to the plate.