Championship Games

6A | Union defense silences Westmoore

Union is all smiles after toppling Westmoore for the 2010 6A slowpitch championship.

Union came to Hall of Fame Stadium on Wednesday without a state tournament win in three previous trips.

It left with the Class 6A state slow-pitch champion.

Union capped an improbable run to its first-ever slow-pitch title with a third straight defensive gem as it knocked off No. 2 Westmoore, 6-2. The fourth-ranked Lady Redskins allowed just nine runs in three games in beating rival Jenks, top-ranked Moore and, finally, the Lady Jaguars.

“I don’t think anyone would have picked us to win, that’s for sure,” Union coach Stephen Randall said.

Turns out people had little reason to doubt Union, for you can’t beat a team you can’t score against. Westmoore found that out as the Lady Jaguars managed just nine hits, four of which came in the seventh inning when they finally crossed home plate. By that point, Union had built a 6-0 lead. With its defense – especially a speedy outfield that was nearly flawless in its scheme and execution– Union’s lead was more than safe as Westmoore’s potent bats were held hostage.

“We played back at the fence because a lot of them try to drive it out of here,” Randall said. “We’re so quick that even if they got it down, it was only a single.”

Miranda Kiser booted Union’s first attempt at a defensive play, but the Lady Redskins didn’t make another error. Nursing a 2-0 lead and with Westmoore threatening in the fifth inning, the Lady Redskins turned a 1-6-3 double play to get out of the jam.

“Everyone contributed and that’s why it’s a team ballgame,” Randall said.

That wasn’t always the case for the Lady Redskins, who boast a large roster and often times a lot of turnover. Team chemistry and a defensive-minded approach were tough to come by. “We never could get them to buy into that before,” Randall said. “Finally these girls started believing in each other. They stopped haggling, stopped fighting and they started winning and they’re happy as a lark right now.”

Sammi McGraw put the Lady Redskins on the board early with an RBI double in the first inning. Lindsey Wofford pushed it to a 2-0 lead with her sacrifice fly in the fifth. The lead grew to 3-0 in the sixth when Kaiti Dutton reached on an error and eventually scored on Ashlee Nation’s base hit.

The cushion was doubled in the seventh with three more runs as Courtney Dobson and Wofford knocked in runs.

Westmoore’s bats finally got going in the seventh as they strung together some hits, including a sacrifice fly from Chante Terrel and an RBI single by Megan Barnett. But that was all Westmoore could manage and the state title was headed back to the eastern side of the state.

“It’s a fantastic feeling and I’m so happy for them,” Randall said of his players. “I kind of just like to stand back and just watch them.”

Randall had been a part of softball titles before, but found it tough explaining the feeling of winning it all to his team. “You can’t explain this feeling to them until they’ve done it,” he said. “Now they’ve done it and know what it is.”

5A | Bethel wins sixth title in ten years

Bethel players and coach hoist the 5A championship trophy at Hall of Fame Stadium.

It was nowhere near the dominance of their 2009 run to the state title, but the end result was still the same.

Bethel notched another state title (its sixth in the past 10 years) thanks largely to a pair of huge innings and several key plays defensively. "Last year we just got hot at the right time," head coach Casey Brewer said. "I knew we'd have to play well every game and every inning to have a chance.

"We got way behind in the first two games and had to find a way to come back and then in this one we had the big inning but then had to hold on. We've been fortunate enough to find ways to step up in big games."

After building a 12-3 advantage through six frames, the Lady Wildcats had to hang on for dear life in the seventh as second-ranked Purcell came to life, scoring six runs and had the tying runs on base before a game-ending double play thwarted the rally on a terrific defensive play.

"I told the girls before the game that we had to make the routine plays, but we were also going to need some big plays in key situations and we did just that," Brewer said.

Bethel did the brunt of its offensive damage in the top of the first inning, sending 15 batters to the plate en route to 11 runs on 10 hits. Sandwiched in between were two crucial errors by Purcell that helped keep the inning alive. The top four batters in the Lady Wildcat lineup - Brittany Watson, Michali Thompson, Makayla Green and Taylor Beach all had two hits in the stanza and one RBI apiece.

Purcell managed only a single from Logan Huey for its only hit through the opening three innings, but the Lady Dragons finally broke through in the fourth when Huey smashed a two-run inside-the-park home run into the rightfield corner ahead of a run-scoring single by Melissa Celaya.

Bethel tacked on an insurance score in the sixth as Watson singled and came around to score on a Purcell error, finishing the game with four hits while Green and Beach ended with three apiece.

That set the stage for the seventh when the Lady Dragons got four straight hits to start the frame. After a line out, Kaytie Spencer tripled in a pair of runs to spark a string of five consecutive hits before the game-ending double-play ended the contest.

Huey led Purcell with four hits and drove in three runs.

4A | Konawa bats too much for the field

Konawa poses as the newly crowned slowpitch champs in 4A.

The hottest team down the stretch this season in Class 4A was unquestionably the Colbert Leopards.

The hottest team in Tuesday's state tournament, however, proved to be Konawa, and the Lady Tigers turned that into a state championship with an impressive 14-4 win over Colbert.

It capped a day full of offensive fireworks for the Lady Tigers, who also toppled another red-hot Dale squad, 17-5, in semifinal run-rule fashion.

"We really seemed to peak at the right time," head coach Jennifer Matthews said. "Most of these girls have been here (at the state tournament) before and knew what kind of hard work it would take."

Konawa wasted little time in eliminating all suspense in the contest with a 10-run first inning explosion, capitalizing on a pair of Colbert errors as well as eight crucial base hits.

Melanie Gladden, Courtney Capps and Sydney Stoup all chipped in two-run hits in the initial flurry.

Colbert came back from the early surge with two runs of its own thanks to a Savannah Harmon triple and Jacee Bennett double that plated another run, but the Lady Leopards were unable to narrow the gap any further.

Ciara Kuestersteffen topped the red-hot Konawa offense with three hits in the six-inning contest.

3A | Dewar rallies to best Barnsdall

Dewar celebrates with its trophy after an 8-5 come-from-behind victory over Barnsdall.

Earlier in the day, it was pointed out to Jason Herring that his Dewar Lady Dragons seemed to produce better offensively when under pressure. So it was only fitting that Dewar came alive when facing a 4-1 deficit Tuesday against Barnsdall in the Class 3A slowpitch softball championship game.

The Lady Dragons outscored Barnsdall 7-1 over the final three innings to win the school’s first slowpitch state title by an 8-5 margin.

For Dewar, the championship was a long time coming. The Lady Dragons had reached state 11 times overall and was there for the sixth time since 2001. Yet a state championship had eluded the Lady Dragons…until now.

“When we were behind, I think we felt a little bit snake-bit from things that had happened in the past,” Herring said. “I told the girls, ‘We’re not losers; we’re not chokers; we just haven’t believed in ourselves when we’ve needed to in the past and this is an opportunity to take care of that.

“And they responded.”

Facing a deficit, Dewar scored two runs in the top half of both the fifth and sixth innings to knot the game at 5-all and then broke it open in the final frame. Alesha Hill broke the tie as she pushed Rachel Fields across the plate with a single. Hill and Brentney Rich, who had reached on a fielder’s choice, later scored on a two-run triple off the bat of junior Whitney Jefferson for the final margin.

Herring wasn’t surprised to see his team fight back from the deficit. It’s something he’s seen the Lady Dragons do, even in the fall. “I reminded them we’ve been a comeback team all year long,” he said. “It started in fast-pitch and spilled over into slow-pitch. When you have a group of girls that work hard, it makes it a lot easier for them to believe in themselves.”

Barnsdall’s lead was built largely by its four-inning fourth. The Lady Panthers opened up the inning with four consecutive singles, with the fourth by Teryn Gillett driving in a run. Caty Seals later added a sacrifice fly to plate another run before Barnsdall was able to send two more runners home on a throwing error for the 4-1 lead.

The Lady Panthers matched Dewar in pounding out 11 hits. Olivia Parker and Kaycie Swift had two hits apiece for Barnsdall.
Been paced Dewar’s offensive attack with a 3-for-3 outing. She added and RBI and scored a run.

2A | Sentinel bats ambush FCB in final

Sentinel hoists the 2A title after upsetting No.1 Fort Cobb-Broxton in the final.

OKLAHOMA CITY - Eighth-ranked Sentinel had flown under the radar most of the season, especially after a stunning loss to Turner in last week's regional opener.

The young Lady Bulldogs, however, proved that getting hot at the right time is more than a cliche…it can win you a championship. And nobody was hotter than Sentinel, which scorched three opponents with 53 runs in the three games today,  sweeping to the Class 2A state title, including a 14-8 title game clincher against number one ranked Fort Cobb-Broxton.

"We've really been inconsistent most of the season, but we managed to put it all together at the right time," head coach Leland Williams said. "Today we hit extremely well up and down the lineup and played solid defense."

The key moment in the title contest came in the top half of the sixth inning after Sentinel had watched Fort Cobb completely evaporate a 7-2 deficit with five runs over the middle three stanzas. Sentinel then put together a decisive six-run uprising, sending 10 batters to the plate, including six straight that reached base successfully.

Freshman Harli Ridling's single with the bases loaded pushed across the go-ahead run before Bailey Booker, Hannah Buchanan, Tayrn Brown and Blair Barnett followed with run-scoring hits of their own.

The Lady Bulldogs tacked on an insurance tally in the seventh and held Fort Cobb to a single run over its final two at-bats.
"We relaxed there in the sixth inning and really put the pressure squarely on them," Williams added. "I'm just so proud of how these young kids have matured and progressed to get to this stage."

Kristan Rhoades led the way offensively with four hits for Sentinel, including a pair of runs scored. Allison Henderson added three hits.

Fort Cobb looked like it would have an excellent chance after tying the game in the bottom of the fifth on a Sarah Flinn home run and singles by Haley Hammons and Jessica Sawyer. But that proved to be the last major threat.

A | Moss repeats, sends Sifers out a winner

Moss' Caitlyn Ramirez brings in the game ball after her squad's 10-3 title game victory.

It was Hammon’s first-ever trip to the state tournament...It was Bobby Sifers’ last.

Although it turned out to be a memorable tournament for both, it was Sifers leaving Hall of Fame Stadium smiling Tuesday night as his Moss Lady Pirates won their second consecutive Class A slowpitch state championship, 10-3, over Hammon.

Although Sifers is listed as the team’s head coach, it was actually Supt. John Long who had the task of coaching the Lady Pirates to their third state title since 2005. Sifers, who also coaches the Moss girls’ basketball team, was hospitalized the week the state basketball tournament was to begin with a severe intestinal problem. The condition forced the longtime Moss coach to miss state basketball and has basically kept him in the background this spring.

“This is one for Bobby Sifers,” said Long, who was fresh from his water cooler bath courtesy of several Moss players. “After everything he went through in fast-pitch and basketball, this is very gratifying for him.

“There’s not a finer person or coach in this world.”

Sifers gave full credit to Long, who is no stranger to winning state championships. He coached Cameron to seven baseball titles in the 1990s. “John Long deserves all the credit,” Sifers said. “He held this team together. And of course we had a great group of girls. They went out there and beat three quality teams today.”

Moss earned the title by scoring the game’s final seven runs.

Hammon scored three straight to tie the game at 3-3, capped by Cheryl Candy’s RBI in the top of the fourth. That’s when Moss took over. Junior Alisha Madden pounded a two-run triple to the fence in the bottom half of the fourth and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Billie Fitzgerald.

Madden struck again with an RBI double in the fifth, part of a four-run inning that sealed the win.

“This was really special,” said Moss senior Kayce Long, who was 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs and is also John Long’s daughter. “We really wanted to win this for Coach Sifers.”

For John Long, winning with his daughter made the championship a little more special.

“(Silo baseball coach) Billy Jack Bowen got coach a couple of his sons in state championships and he told me there was nothing like it,” Long said. “He was right. Winning seven championships in the 90s wasn’t any better than this one in the 2000s.”

Not that Hammon made it easy. The Lady Warriors entered the tournament ranked ninth and having never qualified for state in either slowpitch or fastpitch. They promptly knocked off No. 5 Coleman and No. 1 Red Oak en route to the runner-up finish.

Candy was 1-for-3 and drove in two. Saydi Dowd scored two of Hammon’s runs.

Bailee Cartwright and Jordan Sanford also had two hits apiece for Moss.

But the night belonged Sifers, who said he’s making the tournament his swan song after more than 30 years of coaching.

”This is it,” he said. “I’ve coached my last game. I’ve been sick for a long time and I’ve felt better this past week than I have in a year-and-a-half. I’ve finally started to feel good and I need to take some time and just let my body heal."

Semifinal Notes

CLASS 6A
UNION 6, MOORE 4 - There will be no Moore War to decide the 6A slow-pitch hampionship. Union made sure of it. The fourth-ranked Lady Redskins pulled off a major upset in knocking off No. 1 Moore, 6-4, in their semifinal. Union held the powerful Moore offense to just 11 hits. The Lady Lions were down 5-0 before they even managed to score in the bottom of the fifth, but Moore never got closer than a two-run deficit. Union didn’t manage to score itself until the fourth when it erupted for four runs off five hits. Ashlee Nation had the biggest blow with a two-run double. They tacked on single runs in both the fifth and sixth innings for insurance and finished with 13 hits. Five Lady Redskins had two hits. Jamie King and Nation each had 2 RBI to lead the team. Alex Milligan was one of four Moore players with multiple hits, including her solo home run in the sixth.
WESTMOORE 17, TAHLEQUAH 7 - Things looked good for Tahlequah after posting four runs on Westmoore in the top of the first inning. Then the bottom half happened. Westmoore exploded for 11 first-inning runs and never looked back to advance to yet another 6A title game. Westmoore pounded out 22 hits, nine in the first inning alone. Kendra Pierce and Patty Padgett had two hits apiece in the inning and eight different players brought in runs, led by Rachel Rischard’s three-run triple. Rischard finished with 4 RBI. Aliceia Gutierez was 4-for-4 and drove in three runs while Padgett and Megan Barnett notched three hits apiece. Tahlequah, which tallied 14 hits, saw Erica Simpson go 3-for-3 and drive in a run. Whittney Whittmore and Angel Dry drove in two runs each.

CLASS 5A
BETHEL 12, VALLIANT 9 - Valliant appeared cruising to a second straight upset, building a 9-0 lead in the fourth inning before the roof caved in quickly. Top-rated Bethel fully cashed in on eight Lady Bulldog errors in the bottom of the fourth to plate its only 12 runs of the game, but that proved to be enough to get the Lady Wildcats back in the state finals. It was all Valliant early as the southeastern Oklahoma club plated two runs in the first, one in the second and six in the top of the fourth. Freshman Kylar Foshee led the charge with four RBI, including a three-run triple. Things then began to unravel in the bottom of the stanza and Bethel capitalized, led by a pair of hits from Makayla Green. Run-scoring doubles from Brittany Watson and Green kept things going, but it was three consecutive Valliant errors with two outs that gave Bethel the lead for good. Sophomore Kami Adams topped the Lady Wildcats with three hits, including a double and RBI.
PURCELL 5, SEQUOYAH TAHLEQUAH 3 - Second-ranked Purcell put together a two-out rally in the seventh inning to plate two runs and advance to a much anticipated showdown with Bethel for the state title. The Lady Dragons got things started innocently enough with a two-out hit from Mandy Berrey. Anna Pollok then belted a pitch to rightfield that was misplayed to allow Berrey to score all the way from first. Carly Chambers then slapped a run-scoring single to give the Lady Dragons plenty of cushion. Purcell took a 3-0 lead in the third with an RBI triple by Pollok and two-run homer off the bat of Logan Huey but watched Sequoyah rally with two runs in the third off RBI singles from Haylee Beck and Saharra Henson and another tying RBI single by Caitlin Dry in the fifth stanza.

CLASS 4A
COLBERT 15, WASHINGTON 11 - Colbert has been ranked number one much of the season, but some people still considered the Lady Leopards underdogs in Tuesday afternoon's semifinal showdown with Washington - and who could blame them. All Washington has done for more than a decade is develop a slowpitch softball dynasty, while piling up an incredible streak of 12 consecutive years to reach the title game (state final) since 1997, including eight state titles. The new kids on the block, however, proved why they have been near the top of the rankings all year with a sensational hitting performance, ending the Lady Warriors' phenomenal run. The Lady Leopards pounded out eight hits in an eight-run second inning and added eight more hits in a six-run fourth and held Washington at bay the rest of the way. Jacee Bennett and Selina Hernandez notched four hits apiece to spark the 21-hit assault. Jacie Stephens, Ashley Ball and Stacey Wilkerson posted three hits each for Washington. Shara Curry also chipped in a home run.
KONAWA 17, DALE 5 - Second-ranked Konawa avenged a recent run-rule loss in impressive fashion, exploding early and often offensively. The Lady Tigers plated six runs in the first, five in the second and five in the third before finishing off the run rule in the fourth on a RBI hit by Melanie Gladden, her team-leading fourth of the contest. Konawa got out of the gates fast as Christina Gladden tripled to open the game and Melanie Gladden followed with a double. That ignited a seven-hit flurry that was capped by Brooklyn Akerman's two-run triple. Sydney Stoup's RBI triple highlighted the big second inning and Chelsey Patterson led the way in the third with a two-run single. Dale totaled nine hits, but Chelsea Jordan was the only player with more than one.

CLASS 3A
DEWAR 16, WILSON 6 - Dewar did something that few teams do. Outhit Wilson. The Lady Dragons scored in all but one inning, piling up 14 runs through the first four frames. Dewar's Hannah McCarroll got things going clearing the bases with a three-run double. It was 3-2 going into the bottom of the second, but that's as close as it would get. Facing a run rule Wilson scored two runs in the top of the fifth making it 14-6, but were unable to score in the sixth. Dewar's Cheyenne Been finished off the Lady Eagles with a two-run double to seal the victory. Dewar's Brentney Rich was solid reaching base safely in four at bats, going two for three with a walk, double, two batted in, and three runs scored.
BARNSDALL 14, HEALDTON 0 - Barnsdall showed no mercy toward Healdton, slapping seven consecutive hits en route to a seven-run first inning. Healdton garnered only four hits in the game as the Lady Panthers blasted their way into the finals. All but one player in the Barnsdall lineup had at least one RBI, while sophomore Caty Seals led in that category with three batted in, while going two for three. Teryn Gillett topped all hitters with three singles, including a RBI and three runs scored. Overall Barnsdall pounded out 18 hits, with five doubles and a triple.

CLASS 2A
SENTINEL 21, ROFF 11 - After spotting Roff an 11-7 edge, Sentinel's offense came alive by scoring the final 14 runs of the contest to end it early on the run rule. The Lady Bulldogs pushed across two runs in the third, added four in the fourth and finished it with eight in the fifth while holding the Tigers scoreless. Everyone in the Sentinel lineup had at least one hit in the contest as Alison Henderson's two-run double in the fourth gave the Lady Bulldogs the lead for good. Hannah Buchanan and Kera Hoefar led the offensive charge with four hits apiece. Cailey Maddox, Taryn Brown and Blair Barnett chipped in three hits each. Catie Tolliver, J.J. Stewart, Taylor Canida and Jordan Grinstead contributed two hits apiece in the early Roff offensive flurry.
FORT COBB-BROXTON 17, STERLING 2 - Defending champ Fort Cobb-Broxton wasted no time in advancing again to the state finals with a 12-run first inning that ballooned into a 17-2 rout. The Lady Mustangs sent 16 batters to the plate in the first inning, the first six of which all scored. On the flip side, Sterling sent only 14 batters to the plate in the entire game. Sarah Flinn and Kenlee Upton notched two hits each and scored three times for FCB. Danielle Hammons, Kylee Craddock, Jessica Sanger and Kelly Sokolosky each had two hits as well. Sterling had just four hits, with Lindsey Fehring collecting a pair. Kimberlin Turpin and Kasey Plumree each adding singles.

CLASS A
MOSS 9, LEEDEY 6 - After a sluggish quarterfinal game, the Moss bats finally came alive and, in doing so, put the Lady Pirates in position to repeat. Third-ranked Moss knocked off No. 2 Leedey 9-6 to advance to the Class A championship game. After scoring just two runs in a first-round win against Eagletown, Moss doubled that output in the first inning alone against Leedey as four different batters drove in runs. The Lady Pirates, which had allowed Leedey three runs in the top of the first inning, added three more runs in the third inning, highlighted by a two-RBI single by Alisha Madden. Moss pushed its lead to 9-4 as Bailee Cartwright and Caitlyn Ramirez drove in a run apiece in the bottom of the sixth. Leedey didn’t go down quietly. Sarah Penry reached on an error in the seventh and later scored on another error. Haley Harrel pushed another run across the plate to pull the Lady Bison within 9-6. Although the tying run eventually reached the plate, Leedey got no closer. Madden paced Moss with 3 RBI while Carlee Talley knocked in a pair of runs. Moss advanced to the title game for the fourth time since 2005.
HAMMON 10, RED OAK 5 - The Class A state tournament officially has a Cinderella. No. 9 Hammon pulled off its second straight upset, but this time the biggest in the entire tournament as it jumped on No. 1 Red Oak early and held on for a 10-5 victory. Hammon took advantage of five hits, four walks and one Red Oak error to score seven first-run innings. Turns out, it was all the Lady Warriors would need to complete their improbable advancement in the bracket. After Red Oak’s Jenna Mabry walked three straight batters – two to score runs – Hammon got consecutive run-scoring singles from Meaghan Smith, Hannah Christian and Lexie Brown to build the 7-0 lead. Red Oak answered with a two-run homer by Asiah Sumpter in the top of the second, but Hammon fired right back. The Lady Warriors tacked on three runs in the fourth as Rachael Keahey, Saydi Dowd and Kelsey Baker each drove in a run. Jill Roye drove in a run and Cheyenne Booth two in the top of the sixth for Red Oak, but the Lady Eagles could manage nothing more the rest of the way. Roye and Sumpter had two hits apiece for Red Oak. Hammon was paced by Brown’s 3-for-3 showing as she added two runs.

Quarterfinal Notes

CLASS 6A
WESTMOORE 15, POTEAU 3 - Second-ranked Westmoore got a two-run home run to centerfield off the bat of Che Douglas as part of a three-run first inning and never looked back. The Lady Jaguars scored in all but one at-bat on the day. Poteau’s only sign of life came in a three-run third, highlighted by a two-run homer by Courtney Allison. Westmoore’s attack was well-balanced. Kendra Pierce reached base four times, scored three times and drove in three runs. Patty Padgett also drove in three with a bases-clearing double in the second.
MOORE 15, TECUMSEH 3 - With the wind at their back the top-ranked Moore Lady Lions pounded out 19 hits in just three innings en route to a 15-3 run-rule win over Tecumseh. Moore senior Alex Milligan was a perfect three for three with two doubles and four RBI, while teammate Brandi Berna had a pair of hits and drove in two.
UNION 10, JENKS 3 - The fourth time didn't prove to be a charm for Jenks against Union as the Lady Trojans ended the season by falling to their nearby rival for the fourth time this year. Jenks led 3-2 after an Erin Miller triple with the bases loaded in the second inning. Union, however, tied it in the bottom of the third and and took the lead for good in the fourth after Jamie King connected on a two-run double giving the Lady Redskins a 5-3 edge. Ally Dziadula and Kaitlyn Cox followed up with RBI hits as well and the Lady Redskins never looked back.
TAHLEQUAH 17, MUSKOGEE 5 - Muskogee’s reign as state champ came to an end in shocking fashion as the third-ranked defending champs were ousted by No. 6 Tahlequah in run-rule fashion. The Lady Tigers blew it open with a 10-run second inning that saw them twice load the bases and take advantage. Jessica Patrick was the first two do so with a three-run double for a 6-1 lead. Then, two errors on one play pushed two more runs across. After all the carnage was over, Tahlequah had built a 12-1 lead. Muskogee kept it interesting in the top half of the third as Jordan Clark belted a grand slam, but Tahlequah answered with five more runs in the bottom half of the frame to get its run-rule cushion, which took effect in the fourth. Shelby Sanders collected three hits and scored twice for the Lady Tigers. Katie Bowin, Erica Sampson and Angel Dry had two hits apiece and accounted for seven runs.

CLASS 5A
BETHEL 7, BLANCHARD 6 - Taylor Beach had a quiet game for six innings, but the senior delivered when it counted to help push the Lady Wildcats into the semifinals. With the score knotted at 6 in the top of the seventh, Beach made a diving catch in the outfield to end the Blanchard threat with runners on and then added a key hit to produce the game-winner. It was all Blanchard early, scoring six runs in the first three stanzas as Samantha Plott, Leslie Miller and Liz Broyles all had two hits. But the Lady Lion bats went silent as Bethel picked up two runs in the bottom of the third and tied it in the fifth after back-to-back triples by Michali Thompson and Makayla Green. Thompson doubled again to start the seventh inning uprising and scored on a ground ball from Brook Sweetin.
PURCELL 14, HOLDENVILLE 2 - Purcell held Holdenville in check allowing just five hits over the course of a four inning 14-2 run rule. And while the defense was solid the Lady Dragon bats were red hot, slapping around 15 hits, three of which came from senior Chelsea Akers who blasted a grand slam to cap off an eight-run third inning. She finished with five RBI. Lead off hitter Katy Spencer contributed three hits with a double, two batted in and scored three times.
VALLIANT 9, LITTLE AXE 4 - An eight-run second inning was the deciding blow for sixth-ranked Valliant's first round upset. Little Axe grabbed a quick 2-0 lead but Valliant sent 12 hitters to the plate in the second as Kelcie Franklin and Alex Downum each belted two-run singles. Downum added a triple and scored another run in the fourth to give Valliant plenty of cushion. Lacey Williams topped the Little Axe offense with three hits, including a pair of doubles and a triple.
SEQUOYAH TAHLEQUAH 4, BRISTOW 2 - Sequoyah Tahlequah held Bristow to just two runs on seven hits in a defensive gem. The Lady Indians fell behind 2-0 going into the bottom of the third before opening with a walk and five consecutive hits. Sequoyah scored the go-ahead run off an RBI single from Megan Tehee. The Lady Indians then added an insurance run in the fifth as Haylee Beck scored off a sacrifice fly from Saharra Henson.

CLASS 4A
WASHINGTON 12, LATTA 2 - Defending champ Washington spotted Latta a 1-0 first inning lead before stringing together six hits for eight runs to take command. Ashley Ball, Jacie Stephens and Taylor Nixon finished with two hits each to spark the Warriors' 12-hit attack. Tara Miller topped Latta with a pair of triples.
COLBERT 16, OKEMAH 4 - Colbert fell behind 2-0 after one-half inning, but had plenty of offense to rally and then some. The Lady Leopards answered with five runs in the bottom of the first and six more in the second inning as McKenzie Reeve popped a big three-run double. Colbert ended it early in the fourth when Kayla Strange's grounder and an Okemah error plated two for the run-rule victory.
DALE 21, MANGUM 11 - A nine-run first inning propelled Dale to the semis. Kendra Steward and Leah Bohannon started the game with back-to-back home runs to spark the Lady Pirates. Steward actually hit two homers in the inning, adding a 3-run shot as Dale batted around in the opening frame. Hollie Hand belted a two-run double as Mangum answered with four in the bottom half of the first, but it would never get any closer. Chelsea Jordan added a three-run double for Dale.
KONAWA 15, POCOLA 0 - Konawa's potent lineup went to work immediately today, posting ten runs in the bottom of the first. Courtney Capps started the scoring with a three-run double. Brooklyn Akerman, Marcy Robertson and Christina Gladden all added run-scoring triples in the big first inning. Gladden and Capps added RBI singles in the third, as did Ciara Kuestersteffen and Sara Reeves to complete the 15-0 run-rule win in the third stanza.

CLASS 3A
DEWAR 19, FLETCHER 13 - The first game of the day produced the first upset of the day as Dewar surprised top-ranked Fletcher. The Lady Dragons jumped out to a 9-0 first inning lead, but Fletcher rallied to tie it at 12 in the fifth. The Lady Wildcats would never take the lead, however, as Dewar responded with a five-run sixth that proved to be the difference.
WILSON 23, MERRITT 8 - In a rematch of last year's title game, Merritt jumped out to 6-0 lead in the first inning, but in the end the high-powered Wilson offense was too much. The Lady Eagles put the game away with a 10-run fourth inning.
HEALDTON 13, WAYNE 1 - Healdton raced to a 5-0 lead in the first inning and never looked back. Megan Webb led the way with four RBI. Kaytlin Fletcher added an inside-the-park home to help the Lady Bulldogs run away from Wayne with a run-rule victory.
BARNSDALL 12, RATTAN 11 - For the second straight year the Rattan Lady Rams were ousted in the first round in dramactic fashion. Trailing 11-7 in the bottom of the seventh, Barnsdall took advantage of two Rattan errors and some well placed hits to tie it at 11 and force an extra frame. In the eighth, Tory Curtis scored the go-ahead run off a left field shot from senior Kaycie Swift.

CLASS 2A
SENTINEL 18, BINGER-ONEY 8 - Sentinel exploded for nine runs in the opening two innings, but needed an eight-run fifth to turn back the comeback bid of Binger-Oney. The Lady Bulldogs totaled 18 hits, led by Hannah Buchanan with a pair of doubles and a home run. Bailey Booker contributed three doubles and Tancy Williams had three singles. Baillie Gillis, Whitney Green and Karlee Loula notched two hits apiece for Binger-Oney.
ROFF 19, DAVENPORT 9 - Allie Stambaugh had one of three RBI singles on the day to put Davenport in front 8-6 in the second stanza. After that it was all Roff as the Lady Tigers pushed across five runs in the second and finished it off with eight in the fifth for the run rule. Sophomore J.J. Stewart led the way with four hits while Tera Otis added three hits and four RBI and Jordan Grinstead tossed in three doubles and three ribbies.
FC-BROXTON 8, KEOTA 6 - Trailing 5-3 after five innings, top-ranked Fort Cobb-Broxton used a dramatic comeback, including two runs in its final at-bat to advance. Kenlee Upton's double scored Sarah Flinn to break the 6-all deadlock and the Mustangs tacked on an insurance tally after singles from Chelsea DeVaughan, Danielle Hammons and Jessica Sawyer. Keota loaded the bases in the bottom of the frame but could not answer. Upton and DeVaughn led the way with three hits apiece for Fort Cobb. Jessika Nolen reached base all four times for Keota.
STERLING 16, ARAPAHO 14 - Sterling plated four runs in the bottom of the sixth to break a 12-12 deadlock and then held off a late Arapaho flurry. Tylor Schettler smacked a go-ahead two-run triple and came in to plate the eventual winning run on a single from freshman Shelbi Smith. Smith finished with four hits to lead the way for Sterling. Natalie Richardson went five for five to pace Arapaho.

CLASS A
LEEDEY 6, TUPELO 5 - Leedey took advantage of four Tupelo errors which led to every one of its runs. The two teams combined for nine errors, but the Lady Bison capitalized more often as they scored three runs in the second and fourth innings. Leedey pounded out 11 hits, led by Sarah Penry's three, with one RBI. Raylynn Smith added two hits and an RBI while Taya Haney drove in two. Tupelo’s Megan Bray had three of her team’s nine hits.
MOSS 2, EAGLETOWN 1 - Third-ranked Moss narrowly avoided the upset. Down a run in the top of the seventh, Eagletown had runners on first and second with one out, but was unable to put the tying run across the plate. It nearly came on Megan Routh’s single to right field, but a relay from Hillary Price to Caitlyn Ramirez to home plate gunned Brittany Burris, who was trying to score from second. The Lady Pirates got the winning run with a two-out rally in the bottom of the sixth. Kayce Long doubled and scored on Jordan Sanford’s single.
RED OAK 18, BUTNER 2 - Red Oak lived up to its top-ranked billing, needing just three innings to dispatch Butner. Red Oak exploded for 13 runs on 12 hits to break open the game in the top of the third inning. The Lady Eagles led off the inning with seven consecutive hits, five of which drove in runs. Charitee Evans drove in three runs off two base hits in the frame, Jill Royce drove in two and Cheyenne Booth added a two-run, inside-the-park home run. Javen Henson had already driven in three runs off two hits to give Red Oak a 5-1 lead entering the inning.
HAMMON 12, COLEMAN 3 - Hammon pulled off the first round’s only upset as the ninth-ranked Lady Warriors saw their bats get hot in a 12-3 elimination of No. 5 Coleman. Hammon notched five runs in the second and then matched that effort in the sixth, scoring 12 times before Coleman could get on the board. Peyton Walker provided big hits in each outburst as she slapped a two-run double in the second and had a three-run triple in the fifth.Arine Upchurch and Lexie Brown each drove in two runs for Hammon.

article updated on 05/6/10 07:06