FORMER MHS COACH BEATS HIS OLD TEAM IN FIRST RETURN TRIP

Keith Coleman’s first time back to Muskogee was a little disconcerting for all, especially early on. In the end, Coleman’s Piedmont Wildcats settled down to pull out a 5-2 win over the Lady Roughers squad Coleman spent 11 years as coach of. And it was odd from the beginning, he said — the moment he and his team unloaded their equipment. “Even in all the all-star games, alumni games, I’ve never been in that (first-base) dugout,” he said. Then, both his team, now 20-3 and having won the District 5A-2 championship earlier this week, and the Lady Roughers (9-14) stumbled out of the gate defensively. Errors contributed to all but one earned run in a 3-2 Piedmont advantage after two innings. A single to right by Brookelyn Gilmore and an infield single by Jordan Simmons in the second answered the Wildcats’ three unearned runs off Meadow Million in the first. “It started off rough but I was proud how we didn’t get down on each other,” said Gilmore, who finished with two hits and with Kennedy Glass and Amber Purdin were players who were on Coleman’s last teams in 2015-16. “Playing against our former coach we wanted to win and show him we were improving.” Coleman tipped his cap to his successor, Rick Carbone, who he got a win against last season in tournament play. “He’s done a great job with them,” he said. “Their record isn’t as good as they want to be but he’s playing a lot of young kids and they’re doing a good job. I think they’re a team that could make some noise in the regional tournament.” Carbone agrees, but with a disclaimer for his team with one senior and two juniors. “If we don’t make errors, we’ll beat people. If we do the right things, we’ll be in ball games. If not, we won’t,” he said. All five of Piedmont’s runs were unearned off Meadow Million, who at one point retired seven straight. Neither team scored again until the sixth when, with the heart of Coleman’s lineup coming to the plate, Rikki Hadley’s hard grounder went through Simmons’ legs at short. Chloe Bo then singled, and both scored on a sacrifice bunt and groundout. Chloe Bohuslavicky escaped back-to-back singles by Kayleigh Phillips — who had two on the day — and Laynie Gragg to start the third. But after getting Purdin flied to center, retired Shania Henry and Million on strikes as part of 12 straight set-downs before Gilmore singled to start the seventh. Gilmore was erased on a double play groundout by Glass, and Simmons, who singled, was stranded when D’Asia Brown grounded out to end the game. Coleman, who totaled 501 wins in 11 slowpitch and seven fastpitch seasons and won a state title in slowpitch in 2009, accepted the Piedmont job prior to his final slowpitch season in 2016, a runner-up finish. He then hired his former Muskogee assistant, Coleman Hughes, who made the trip. Coleman wanted this game when he knew his team would be going to the NSU-Tahlequah Tournament this weekend — an event Muskogee is in as well, but aren’t on a course to meet at anytime in the four-pool event. “It’s a game that in the big picture means nothing, but it means a lot for both of us,” he said. “The trip down brought a lot of reminiscing about all the great moments, great players and great memories we had here.” Muskogee opens tournament play against Locust Grove at 10 a.m. before getting Pryor at 12:40 p.m. and finishing with an inner-city matchup with Hilldale at 2 p.m.

FORMER MHS COACH BEATS HIS OLD TEAM IN FIRST RETURN TRIP

Photo Credit: John Hasler

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