Undefeated Sandite baseball easily handles Highway 97 rival Sapulpa, 7-2
/By: Scott Emigh and Deena Tolbert
The Charles Page High School baseball team won their second game of the season Saturday afternoon at Sapulpa (0-2), easily handling their Highway 97 rivals.
Gunnar Phillips and Jake Ward each drew walks to start the game and made their way around the bases for an early lead. Hunter Greathouse hit a line drive down the third baseline and was batted in by Treyce Tolbert who nailed the left field fence. The Chieftains came in to bat soon after, trailing 3-0.
Jake Terry (1-0) got the start on the mound for the Sandites and struck out two batters in the first inning, only giving up a single.
Rhett Rutledge drew a walk in the top of the second but was caught in a pickle with Phillips at bat for the third out after Terry was outed on a pop fly to right field and Ty Fain was put out with a hit to right field. Sapulpa got off a single but stranded the runner with a strikeout on the fourth batter.
The third inning was more of the same for the Sandites as Jake Ward got the lone hit and Phillips, who was walked, was put out at second. Ward was picked off at first and Joey Montgomery hit the ball to second and was put out. Sapulpa got off a single and the runner stole second on a throwing error by Terry. The next two batters were struck out, however, and Rutledge threw out the final batter at first.
The fourth inning saw Hunter Greathouse hit a double to centerfield and stole third off an errant pitch. Trevor Tolbert was walked and the Chieftains switched pitchers. Treyce Tolbert was walked and Sapulpa switched pitchers again. Terry hit a pop fly to center for a single by catching error and Greathouse made it home for a 4-0 lead with the bases still loaded. Fain struck out but Rutledge was walked and Trevor Tolbert came home. Phillips bunted and was put out along with Treyce Tolbert in a double play and Ward was outed on a pop fly to right field.
Sapulpa put two on base with a walk and a single but both were left stranded and the Sandites took a 5-0 lead into the fifth.
Montgomery hit a single off a fielding error and made it to second on a sacrifice bunt by Trevor Tolbert but was put out after Treyce Tolbert hit a line drive to third. Sapulpa got off another single but Trevor Tolbert put the runner out in a double play off the next batter's hit.
Terry doubled to start the sixth and was replaced on base by courtesy runner Mack Thompson who advanced to third on a sacrifice fly hit by Rutledge. Phillips batted him in on a line drive over second, then Ward smacked a double into the centerfield wall. Montgomery hit a line down third to score Phillips, but Ward was caught in a pickle and the Sandites improved to a 7-0 lead.
Josh Cordell relieved Terry on the mound and Sapulpa finally managed to score a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth. The seventh saw Treyce Tolbert and Josh Cordell walked and stranded. Sapulpa got off a double but was unable to score. Cordell pitched his first strikeout of the season and the Sandites pulled in a 7-2 victory to remain undefeated.
The Sandites will next take on Booker T Washington Monday evening at OneOK Field in downtown Tulsa at 5:30. The Hornets are 0-2 for the season after giving up an 8-0 shutout to Broken Arrow today and being edged out 10-9 by Muskogee earlier this week.
