Oklahoma high school slowpitch softball: Choctaw, Washington, Dale win Class 6A-4A titles

Oklahoma high school slowpitch softball: Choctaw, Washington, Dale win Class 6A-4A titles

The Class 6A-4A Oklahoma high school slowpitch softball state championships were held on Thursday at FireLake Ball Fields in Shawnee. Here are recaps from each game.

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Class 4A: Dale 11, Pocola 10

All Heartly Snyder could think about was getting on base.

In the final at-bat of her high school career, the Dale senior stepped to the plate with calm confidence. Her eyes tracked the pitch, her swing connected cleanly, and the ball soared toward the left-field wall.

What happened next felt like something out of a movie.

Snyder sent a walk-off solo home run over the fence, sealing Dale’s dramatic 11-10 victory over Pocola. 

“Just that feeling of tagging the bases one last time felt unreal,” Snyder said. “All the emotions came to me at the same time, and it just felt amazing. That’s a moment I’ll never ever forget.”

For Dale, the title was earned not only through power at the plate, but resilience.

The Pirates were far from out despite trailing 9-2 in the bottom of the sixth inning. 

A relentless rally, fueled by clutch RBIs from Riley Jerrell, Kylee Meritt and Kelbey Welcher brought Dale roaring back into contention. By the bottom of the seventh, the Pirates had trimmed the deficit to a single run.

Then came the moment that shifted the momentum for good.

Holland Herring launched a solo home run to tie the game and send it into extra innings, where Dale completed its storybook comeback.

“This season has just been so special,” Herring said. “I'm just so glad I signed up for softball when I was six years old. This is the joy of my life, and I can't imagine life without softball.”

The title adds yet another gold ball to coach Andy Powell’s collection.

The victory secured Dale’s seventh Class 4A slowpitch title and marked its second softball state championship of the school year. The Pirates also defeated Pocola in the fall for the fastpitch crown.

But Powell credits the Dale community above all for the belief throughout the 2024-25 school year.

“We may not play very well at all times when we expect to, but Dale girls never quit,” Powell said. “They never have since I've been here, and they're unbelievable. From our girls, to our coaching staff, family and friends — this community produces some of the best human beings you will ever meet.”

Dale celebrates the Class 4A state slowpitch softball championship against Pocola at FireLake Ball Fields in Shawnee, Okla., Thursday, May, 8, 2025.

Class 5A: Washington 21, North Rock Creek 6

This story will be updated.

Class 6A: Choctaw 17, Mustang 13

This story will be updated.

Jordan Davis covers high school sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Jordan? He can be reached at jdavis@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @jdavis34_. Sign up for The Varsity Club newsletter to access more high school coverage. Support Jordan’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma HS slowpitch softball: Class 6A-4A state championship results