CPHS Softball: Stillwater upset forces game 4 at Regionals

The Charles Page High School fast pitch softball team (25-6) suffered a setback in their pursuit of a sixth-straight Regional Championship Thursday afternoon, dropping a 7-5 home upset to Stillwater (17-16) despite leading 5-1 after five innings. Stillwater scored five runs in the sixth to pay back Wednesday’s 2-0 loss and the teams will play a tie-breaker round at 5:15 p.m. to decide who goes to State.

Stillwater had a fortuitous first inning with a lead off double from Alex Griffin, who scored soon after on an error. The Sandites buckled down and Aliyah Taff threw three strikeouts in the inning to strand one runner. Madison Lee drew a walk to start things off for the Sandites, took third on an error, and tied it up on a ground out from JoLee McNally. 

Sand Springs put two runners in scoring position in the bottom of the second, but Makenzi Swick stranded both with a strikeout. Taff repaid the favor in the top of the third, stranding two singles with her sixth strikeout of the game. Stillwater threatened again with a pair of singles in the top of the fourth but Lyric Perry tried to steal home and Avery Tanner made the throw to Olivia Alexander for the tag out. Taff struck out Kendyl Prichard to strand one runner. 

The Sandites hit their stride in the bottom of the fifth, scoring four runs on four hits for the 5-1 lead. Alexander drew a walk and scored on a triple from McNally. Raegan Rector hit an RBI double, Taff singled, and Tanner hit a two-run double to score Rector and courtesy runner Kelsi Hilton. 

Stillwater wouldn’t go down without a fight and scored five runs to reclaim the lead in the sixth on an error, four hits, and two walks. Prichard, Griffin, and Addyson Brown hit RBI singles in the inning. Swick hit a double in the seventh and courtesy runner Camryn Westbrook scored on a ground out to pad the lead. 

Swick threw six hits, four walks, and seven strikeouts for the win, while Taff (17-6, 34-20) tossed ten hits, four walks, and nine strikeouts in the loss.