For only the second time in school history, the Lincoln Bulldogs are district champs.
Lincoln beat Sequoyah Tahlequah on Monday evening 9-5 to secure the program's first district title since 2022, as the Bulldogs clinched with a 9-2 record and one district game left to play today.
The Bulldogs (16-14) led district 3A-7 from start to finish this spring.
Lincoln assured itself hosting in the regional tournament in the coming weeks as the top-seed, with Spiro and Antlers as possible opponents.
The Bulldogs to our to an early lead and never looked back, behind a strong pitching performance from junior Carter Ricke.
He went the distance, finishing all seven innings. Ricke scattered nine hits and allowed just two earned runs.
He walked zero hitters and struck out six.
"We had a solid pitching performance out of Carter Ricke," said head coach Greg Harmon. "It's easy to take his pitching performances for granted, but you can't overvalue a quality outing, especially in a district championship setting. He's the tone setter for us. We have a lot of good arms this year and that is a key factor in our success in district this year."
Lincoln got on the board with two runs in the 1st, as freshman Aiden Hendren singled to left to score Evan Jameson and Cole Dooley.
The Bulldogs added another run in the 2nd, as leadoff junior Chandler Cozbey ripped a double to center to score Carter Hunter and put the Bulldogs up 3-0.
"Sequoyah Tahlequah is a really talented group," said Harmon. "Their starting pitcher has an above average fastball and was competitive with his breaking ball all game. Additionally, they really swing the bat well and can cause problems on the bases.They are definitely a scrappy team that people can't over look.It was a quality win for us."
Dooley drove in Ricke on an RBI groundout in the 4th, before senior Luke McCants scored on a wild pitch moments later to make it 5-0.
The Indians cut things close with four runs in the 4th, but Lincoln quickly responded.
McCants singled to center in the bottom of the 4th to score Beaux Brumble, pushing the lead back to 6-4.
Dooley walked with the bases loaded in the next at bat, as Carter Hunter came in from 3rd to score.
Hendren then sacrificed Cozbey in on a fly ball to left to make it 8-4. McCants scored moments later on a wild pitch to stretch the lead back to five at 9-4.
"Senior night drew a great crowd," Harmon said. "We had a student section and our side of the stands were full. It was a really cool environment for our kids to play in. Baseball is a sport that sometimes lacks in fan support. Most of the time that is due to game times or weather conditions. We really appreciated the support of our school and community yesterday! It did not go unnoticed."
Cozbey was 2-for-4 in the win. Hendren was 2-for-2 with three RBIs.
Ricke doubled to help himself out on the mound, while Dooley drove in two and catcher Jaxon Crumbliss walked twice.
It was the 4th win in a row for Lincoln, after sweeping Dewey in district play last week to set up Monday's potential clinching of the district with a win.
The Bulldogs got a big win last Thursday, however, as Lincoln went on the road to the south side of the metro and beat Jenks 3-2.
The Bulldogs got solo homers from McCants and Lane Hunter, who put Lincoln ahead by a run in the top of the 7th.
Carter Hunter pitched well for Lincoln, allowing seven hits across 5.1 innings and just two earned runs. He walked two and struck out two.
Hendren pitched the final 1.2 innings, getting five outs without allowing a hit and striking out two Trojans.
McCants had the other RBI to give Lincoln a 1-0 lead in the top of the 1st. Crumbliss also doubled in the win.
After Lincoln's return trip to Tahelquah on Tuesday, Bulldogs will host Metro for a Pinnacle Conference matchup at home on Friday, followed by the regular season finale next Monday at home vs. Morris.
"We are focused on finishing the regular season strong, taking it one day at a time and trying to build for a deep playoff run," said Harmon.
Regionals begin Thursday, May 1.
Lincoln is looking for its first state tournament appearance since 2022. The Bulldogs have been to state five times total - 2010, 2016, 2019, 2021 and 2022.
