SULPHUR โ For three innings, Parkview Baptist and Calvary Baptist failed to plate a run.
Then came the fourth inning. The Eagles loaded the bases with a single and two walks with two outs. A golden opportunity presented itself for the Eagles to jump out to the game's first lead against the top-seeded Cavaliers.
The scoring opportunity faded fast after a groundout to first base. Calvary Baptist then zapped all momentum in the bottom of the fourth when Baylor Bockhaus smashed a home run for the game's first run.
A pair of doubles made the score 2-0. Calvary Baptist (37-1) added three more runs to prevail 5-1 over No. 2 Parkview Baptist on Sunday at Frasch Park in Sulphur in the Division III select state title game.
"That would've been a huge inning for us," Parkview coach Ashlee Ducote said. "(Calvary Baptist) did a great job, and sometimes you've got to take advantage against a good pitcher and a good team like them, for sure."
Parkview Baptist (30-7) managed just three hits in the loss. The Eagles' lone run came in the sixth off a solo home run by Aimee Gawlik.
Calvary Baptist stretched out the lead in the bottom of the sixth. After a leadoff walk, Jaycee Sledge doubled down the left-field line to score one run. Two more runs were scored off a wild pitch and a single.
The Eagles went down in order in the seventh.
While Parkview was on the opposite side of Sunday's championship, Ducote was still optimistic about her team, which does not graduate a single player.
She hopes to be in the same spot next year, and the team's youth gives reason for optimism. The Eagles, who won 30 games and finished as runner-up, feature five freshmen, two eighth graders and one seventh grader.
"Now they know what it feels like, what the energy feels like," Ducote said. "Honestly, I don't think their youth showed up today."
She credited her team's ability to continue fighting through mistakes defensively and stay loud in the dugout.
"They're going to be hungry for even more," she said. "Hopefully we'll be back here next year."