Newcastle’s Fast-Pitch Softball Team knew all season they had a good chance of being State Champions. They made that a reality over the weekend as teams from Cache, North Rock Creek, and Purcell tumbled to the Racer talent.
Newcastle beat Cache, 4-0, on Thursday, and then beat Rock Creek, 5-4, on Friday. The title game came against the Lady Dragons of Purcell on Saturday at Oklahoma University’s Marita Hynes Field. The Racers scored four runs early in the game and then played tough defense behind the pitching of their senior ace Aubree Ferguson, to beat Purcell, 4-0.
Head Coach Mike Crossley said leadoff batter Maddie Torrenueva had a base hit to start the game. Lilyana Portillo had a base hit to knock in the first Racer run. In the second inning, Ferguson hit a double and then Torrenueva knocked her in on a hit to make the score 2-0.
Lexie Lovelace then doubled and knocked in Torrenueva, and Brooklyn Lyles then knocked in Lovelace, making the score 4-0.
“Aubree did a great job pitching and our defense did the rest — they’ve been solid all year long,” Crossley said.
The coach said there was only one inning that Purcell threatened, the third inning. He said the Dragons had a base hit, and then Aubree hit a girl.
“They hit a bunt and Courtney caught it and doubled up on the base runner at first,” Crossley said.
The coach said, “When we got that four hit lead, we felt comfortable and in charge of the game.”
Crossley said Purcell is a good ball club, but the Racers had done their research, watching their games.
“They played good teams, but we felt they played with nervousness and jitters,” Crossley said. “A lot of their runs were made on errors by the other teams, and this allowed Purcell to put up big numbers. We saw this and thought that we won’t make mistakes like that. This hasn’t happened to us all year long.”
Crossley said the Racers have had an unbelievable season, although it wasn’t unexpected. He said this year’s team is one of the most talented he’s had.
“The all-around defensive play, the pitching, and batting — this is one heck of a ball club,” Crossley said. “We thought all along we were the best team in the state. We were confident and had all the parts. We can hit with power and have good defense. When we needed Aubree to hit a strikeout, she was able to do that. She’s got that capability.”
The Racers didn’t lose a game to a Class 4A team all year. They went 12-0 in District play, dominating.
“We just crushed everyone,” Crossley said.
The other coaches in the District 4A-3 agreed, as District honors were just announced.
Crossley was named Coach of the Year. Aubree Ferguson was named Most Valuable Player, and Lilyana Portillo was named Offensive Player of the Year (She hit .481). All the
DISTRICT HONORS on page 10
