Hughes & Hilton Pitch Perfect Games on Senior Night - Sandites Shut Out Hornets

There’s no telling how many hundreds of players Shelli Brown has coached in her 27 years at Charles Page High School, but she still got teary-eyed when she reflected on her current class Thursday evening on Senior Night.

“Senior Night is a tough one,” said Brown, after her team won two perfect games in a double-header against Booker T. Washington (1-14, 0-11).

“They’re all special, all bring back memories. We had some former players come back tonight and that’s always special to me when I get to see my kids that have graduated come back.”

Sand Springs (15-8, 6-4) celebrated four seniors between games: Kelsi Hilton, Morgan Rector, Gracey Massey, and Natalia Delgado.

Before the ceremony, Addison Hughes (9-4) pitched her second perfect game of the season, tossing nine strikeouts in the 16-0 five-inning run-rule win.

After the ceremony, Hilton (4-2) threw 11 strikeouts in a 15-0 five-inning perfect game.

Morgan Rector was the hot hand at the plate, going 4-for-4 in the first game with one run and five RBIs. Kenzie King was 3-for-3 with three runs and an RBI.

In the second game Hilton was 2-for-2 with a run and two RBIs while Massey was 2-for-3 with two runs and three RBIs.

As a team, the Sandites went 19-of-31 at the plate in game one and 7-of-15 with 18 walks in the nightcap.

Of Washington’s 30 at-bats on the night: 20 were retired at the plate, nine were put out in the infield, and the outfield only had to make one play on the whole night.

“We’ve been working with this group because we’re so young,” said Brown. “We’ve been doing a lot of teaching. This group - I feel like they’re kind of like sponges. Everything we tell them and talk to them about, they really absorb it, take it in, and try to do it out here.”

“Seeing a lot of positive things, and for them to come out here and stay focused, sometimes that’s hard to do.”

The games pushed the Sandites’ win streak to six as they enter the final two weeks of the regular season. The winning momentum is a nice change of pace after a tough 1-6 run in the middle of the season.

“What I tried to do is get a good mix of teams that we can compete with, and play a lot of the good teams,” said Brown.

“Whether we win or lose, they’re going to make you better down the road. And I think this group realizes that.”

The Sandites have been battled tested against the likes of Edmond Deer Creek (18-4), Southmoore (16-9), Owasso (23-0), Edmond Memorial (17-8), Moore (24-3), and Broken Arrow (23-3) - all of which are likely to be in the State Tournament this October.

Through many of their toughest games they were without Hilton in the circle due to a throwing arm injury that appears to be mostly behind her.

“It feels good to get Kelsi back,” laughed Brown. “She’s been a great player for us all four years she’s been a varsity player. She carries that well and she’s a great leader for the team.”

The girls will wrap up district action with another home double-header on Monday at 4:30 p.m. when they host Yukon for Youth Night. Students who come in their softball jerseys or summer camp shirts will get free admission to that game and will get to join the team on the field during the national anthem.

“Yukon is going to be tough,” said Brown. “They have a great program. So Monday, even though it’s a double-header, we just take it one game at a time.”