Sandites Wrap Up Bixby Tournament With Wins Over Muskogee, Coweta

Addison Hughes improved to 7-4 on the season with a 5-strikeout performance against Muskogee.

After going 1-1 on the first day of the Bixby Tournament, the Sandite softball team (11-8) wrapped things up with a pair of 5-3 wins over Muskogee and Coweta on Saturday.

Lakelyn Harger went 3-for-3 at the plate to spark the Sandites to their 13th consecutive victory over the Roughers (11-12), a streak dating back to 2015.

Bailey Copeland got the party started in the top of the second, reaching on an error before scoring on a ground out from Addison Hughes. Kylie King hit a single and scored on another error to make it 2-0 and the Sandites would never trail.

Harger hit her second single of the game in the top of the third and scored on another Rougher error to go up 3-0.

Jaliyah Simmons walked in the bottom of the third and Jaye Barnoski reached on a dropped third strike to set up Jamiah Maxwell for a two-run single to avert the shutout, but the Sandites got right back to scoring in the fourth.

Harger hit an RBI double to bring in Bella Wilson before scoring on an error to make it 5-2, but Muskogee would score one more run in before the game was over - an RBI single from Lariah Stewart to plate Simmons, who tripled.

Hughes (7-4) got the start and the win in the circle, tossing four hits, two walks, and five strikeouts in four innings. Harger threw the final inning, surrendering two hits with one strikeout.

Kelsi Hilton (2-2) got the win in game two, tossing four hits, no walks, and two strikeouts in four innings against Coweta (7-15), taking over in the second inning for Kylie King (2-2), who surrendered four hits.

The Tigers took a 2-0 lead against the Sandites on four hits in the bottom of the first, but Harger tied it up in the third with a two-run single to score Wilson and Morgan Rector.

Sierra Soto scored on a single from Zaidyn Denton in the fourth to put Coweta back on top, but Kaylei Rake repaid the favor with a two-run single in the fifth to bring in Wilson and Hilton. Rake added an insurance run on a hit from Copeland for the final 5-3 score.

Hilton and Rake both went 2-for-3 at the plate in that game. Hilton had a team-high two runs, while Harger and Rake had two RBIs apiece.

The Sandites are poised for a busy week in district play as they prepare for a trio of double-headers.

On Monday they will travel to Putnam City North (6-11, 2-5) at noon for a pair of makeup games that were originally scheduled for last Tuesday. Sand Springs trailed 1-0 in the top of the second when inclement weather postponed it.

Sand Springs will host Yukon (11-11, 3-3) at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday and Booker T. Washington (1-11, 0-9) at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday.