By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

It’s been a long, hard ride for the Sand Springs Lady Sandite softball team, and it’s been incredible.

The current seniors were part of the first team in over a decade to win a Regional title, and they’ve done it not just once, but three times.

In their first trip to the State Championship, they were shut out 2-0 by Yukon who went on to win the state title. In 2013, they lost 6-2 to Moore who went on to be the State Runner-Up.

This year it was the Sandites’ time to shine.

Goose Salyers (16-1) got the start and the win on the mound for Charles Page High School, while Abbey Brickey got the loss for the defending state champions from Mustang.

The Lady Broncos emerged to an early lead as MacKenzie Donohoo hit a groundball into left field to be the first player on base, and was soon brought home on an RBI double by Madison Perrigan.

With two outs and Perrigan on third base, Salyers walked Zoe Jones and Alexia Vargas to load the bases. Karis Clark was at bat and it looked like Mustang might be about to explode offensively. With a full count, Clark hit a groundball to second-baseman Kimi Presnell and was put out on first base.

The Lady Broncos had run-ruled seven games before tonight, but that threat had been adverted—for now.

Sydney Pennington was the lone Sandite on base in the bottom of the first and she was left stranded as Sand Springs failed to find their legs to start the game.

Mustang came in to bat once again, and this time there would be no stopping the hits. Brooklyn Sparkman was struck out, but from there it was a swinging contest. Kaitlyn Thomas struck a single and Audrie Morrison brought her home on an RBI double.

Next was Perrigan with a second RBI, this time a triple, on her second at bat, confirming herself as a major threat. Perrigan was hands down the best batter of the night, with a perfect batting average, a perfect on-base percentage, and a 2.50 slugging average. She was also the fastest base-runner out there.

The lumber-jacking didn’t stop there. Kylie Dodson brought Perrigan in with a single, and were it not for a tremendous catch by center-fielder Jessica Collins, it would have kept going from there. Zoe Jones slammed the first pitch thrown at her and it almost cleared the field, but Collins was in the air, barely snagging the ball as she collided with the fence to avert a potential home-run and bring the Sandites in, trailing 4-0.

The Sandites were ready to respond. Kali Mallory drew a walk and was replaced on base by curtesy-runner Caley Thompson. Thompson stole second while Collins was at bat, then Collins was walked to join her. Presnell bunted for a single to load the bases and now it was Rachel Blair’s turn to do some damage.

With a full count, Blair finally connected for the biggest hit of the night, a 3RBI triple into center-field.

Jacie Taber was put out at first and Salyers and Millican were both struck out, but the damage was done. Blair had shown Mustang that the Sandites were here to fight.

The Lady Broncos managed only one base hit in the third inning, and Sand Springs was thirsty for blood.

Pennington found first base on a bunt and an error by Jones, and was soon joined by Schuler with a single into left field. Mallory connected for an RBI double and was replaced by Thompson once again. Collins bunted for a single, thanks to an error by Clark, and the bases were loaded with no outs.

Presnell was batting now, and the Bronco errors continued to worsen. Schuler was paying attention, and was ready when Perrigan, the catcher, allowed an errant ball to travel past her. By the time the catcher found the ball and realized what was happening, Schuler had stolen home plate and tied the game.

Presnell finished her at bat with a line drive right over Brickey’s head to score Thompson and claim first base. The Sandites had taken the lead, and wouldn’t slow down or look back.

Presnell stole second with Salyers at bat, and Salyers connected for a 2RBI single with some help from an error by Britani Sanders on first base. The inning came to a close on the next at bat, and the Sandites had taken an 8-4 lead.

The State Champions attempted to rally in the top of the fourth. Donohoo pulled off a single and Perrigan brought her home with an RBI triple. Dodson hit a sacrifice fly to bring the score to 8-6, but those would be the last runs the Broncos ever scored.

In the top of the fifth, Vargas, Sparkman, and Thomas hit singles to load the bases, but the Sandite defense managed to ward them off once again. Schuler dived into the dugout net to catch a foul ball from Clark, Donohoo was put out at first with an assist from Presnell, and Caitlin Cantrell was struck out.

What the Broncos had expected to be their magic inning instead turned into a nightmare.

Rachel Blair drew four straight balls for a walk, and Mustang decided it was time for a change on the mound. It was quite probably the worst call of the game.

Sparkman took over as pitcher, but the pressure was too much for the poor girl. Visibly shaking, she walked Madelyn Blair, Salyers, and Millican, and brought home Rachel Blair for a free run. Pennington sacrificed herself to score Madelyn Blair and that was enough for Mustang to realize they had made the wrong call.

Brickey went back to the mound, but it was too late to stop the Sandite tide.

Schuler let loose a centerfield fly to load the bases and Mallory hit an RBI single to bring Salyers in. Presnell hit a single to score Schuler and the Sandites ended the inning with a 12-6 lead.

Perrigan continued to impress with yet another double, but Dodson and Jones were both put out in the infield. Vargas hit a foul ball and Millican gave one of her signature diving catches to snag the put out and once again it was time for Sand Springs to do some damage.

Salyers hit a single and was brought home by Pennington with a double. Schuler followed suit, bringing Pennington in with a double of her own for a 14-6 lead.

The seventh inning was a no-hitter, and just like that Sand Springs had won their first state quarterfinal game in nearly two decades.

The Lady Sandites will next take on Moore at 2:30 on Friday. Moore (34-4) defeated Muskogee (22-18) 11-1 in their quarter-final game.

Sand Springs (30-8) has not played Moore this season, but when it comes to mutual opponents Sand Springs has a slight edge. The Sandites win by an average of 7.4-2.4, whereas Moore wins by an average of 6.2 to 2.7

No matter what, it’s bound to be one exciting game! The winner will advance to the Championship round Saturday at 5:00 PM.

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

It was the final game of the Regional Championship, and stakes were high. The Sand Springs Lady Sandites had just fought their way up through the losers’ bracket after being upset in game one by Skiatook. In the last game, Union was dealt their first loss of the tournament in a 3-0 shutout by the Sandites. For the Lady Sandites, it was a triple header.

Goose Salyers (15-1) had pitched the last three wins of the tournament, so Oklahoma State University-commit Sydney Pennington (11-6) stepped to the mound for this game. For the Redskins it was Mikael Willard replacing Paige Boyle after the last game.

The first inning was a no-hitter for both teams.

In the top of inning 2, Makenie Addis got on first base for the Redskins with a groundball and up stepped Brylee Dickensen with a groundball to Cody Cheatham at third. Cheatham threw out Dickensen at first and Jessica Schuler tried for a double play back to Cheatham to out Addis, but instead connected with the base runner’s ribs and the game was delayed while Addis decided if she could continue. The Union girl was tough and shrugged it off, but was left stranded on the next play.

It would be a rough game for the Redskins.

Jessica Schuler was first at bat for the Sandites and set loose a centerfield fly for a single and was replaced on base by Caley Thompson. Kali Mallory hit a single and Kimi Presnell was walked, but Jessica Collins and Cameron Clemons were both put out. The pressure was on Madelyn Blair to bring the girls home, and she did not disappoint. Had she put just a little more on it and it would have cleared the fence for a grand slam. Unfortunately, it fell just a tad short, hitting the fence for a 3RBI Triple.

Salyers was next at bat for an RBI double and just like that, Blair had outscored the entire last game.

The Sandite defense also had all pistons firing and didn’t allow a single hit in the third inning either, though Dickensen did draw a walk. With one out and Dickensen on first, Sammi Ibison hit a line drive straight to Salyers in left field who sent it in to Schuler for the double play.

Union was restraining themselves from the errors of the last game, however, and Willard struck out Pennington and Collins to end the inning. The lone Redskin error of the game came in the bottom of the fourth as Cameron Clemons stole second on a catcher’s error.

Finally, in the bottom of the fifth, Sand Springs started swinging for the fence again. Pennington and Collins hit homeruns for the 6-0 lead and Willard was replaced on the mound by Boyle.

It was the top of the sixth and the Redskins needed a big rally to stay alive. Sammi Dutton bunted for a single and Lexi Dobson nailed a double into the centerfield fence. After a brief Sandite timeout, however, the girls were left stranded. Their only chance would be for a major come-back in the top of the seventh.

Unfortunately for them, they would never make it to the seventh.

Clemons and Salyers both hit singles and Stella Millican drew a walk. Sydney Pennington batted in Clemons on a single and the bases were still loaded when Schuler, a Northeastern State University-commit, connected on a grand slam to finish the game 11-0 by run-rule.

After four unimpressive games, the Lady Sandites had found their mojo from earlier in the season and registered three straight shut outs for the Regional Title.

At this moment, the girls (29-8) are in Oklahoma City preparing for the first game of the State Championship tournament against the defending State Champion from Mustang (33-8). The battle will begin at 6:30 PM, and it will be a rematch for the two teams.

Early in the season, the Sandites defeated the Broncos 3-1 at the Broken Arrow tournament, dealing them their second loss of the season. At that point Mustang was 5-2 and Sand Springs was 9-1.

When it comes to mutual opponents, Sand Springs has a 6-2 record and Mustang has a 10-1 record. Sand Springs outscored mutual opponents by an average of 7.62 to 2.625, while Mustang outscored them an average of 5.81 to 3.27.

Sand Springs has pitched eight shutouts and won nine games by run-rule. Mustang has pitched ten shut outs and won seven games by run rule.

On paper, Sand Springs is the better team, but unlike Football and other Oklahoma sports, Softball is a lot less top-heavy and has a lot more talent across the state. All eight teams at this tournament have a legitimate shot at winning, and anything can happen in a playoff game.

The Sandite spirits are high across the town and everyone is rooting for our girls to bring home their first state title. The team left town at 11:00 this morning and were given a large send-off at the Sandite Sporting Complex and a police/fire escort from town.