Kelsi Hilton Makes All-State Softball Team

Kelsi Hilton take third base in a game against Moore.

Senior pitcher and infielder Kelsi Hilton has been named to the Oklahoma Fast Pitch Coaches Association (OFPCA) All-State team, marking the sixth consecutive year a Sandite has received the honor. She is the 50th all-time selection from Sand Springs.

Hilton batted .430 this season with a .550 slugging average and .468 on-base percentage, hitting six doubles and two home runs to score 30 runs and 19 RBI.

Morgan Rector catches a fly ball in a game against Moore.

She committed only three errors on the season while playing shortstop and third base in addition to her time in the circle where she went 5-4 with a 5.4 ERA, striking out nearly 20% of the batters she faced. She also pitched a perfect game on Senior Night against Booker T. Washington.

Hilton is committed to playing at Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Oklahoma, an NCAA Division II program competing in the Great American Conference.

Hilton was also named to the All-District 6A-2 and All-Region 14-East teams.

Senior outfielder Morgan Rector also was named to the All-Region team and junior pitcher Addison Hughes was named to the All-District team.

Addison Hughes pitches in a game against Moore.

Lakelyn Harger, Bella Wilson, Kenzie King, Rector, and Kaylei Rake all received All-District Honorable Mentions.

The Sandites went 19-15 overall this season, falling in the Regional finals at Edmond Memorial.

Sandites Go 1-1 at Regional Tournament, Will Rematch Edmond Memorial on Friday

Late-game heroics boosted the Charles Page High School softball team (19-14) to a 6-2 win over Stillwater (18-14) in the first round of the Regional Championship Thursday afternoon in Edmond.

After trailing 2-0 through four innings, the Sandites got hot and scored runs in each of the remaining innings to extend their season.

Calle Cox hit an RBI single in the third inning to put the Pioneers on the board and Jaelynn Wilhelm padded the lead with a double in the fourth, but those would be the only runs the Sandites surrendered.

Kenzie King walked in the top of the fifth and scored on a sacrifice hit from Kaylei Rake, then Bella Wilson brought in Ashlyn Clark with a two-out single to tie it up.

Kelsi Hilton led off the sixth with a double, took third on a sacrifice fly from Lakelyn Harger, and gave her team the lead on a single from Morgan Rector.

Wilson hit a one-out single in the seventh, took third on a double from Bailey Copeland, and scored on a single from Hilton. Harger added another RBI single to score Copeland and Hilton scored the final run of the game on a sacrifice hit from Rector.

Wilhelm drew a lead-off walk to give the Pioneers hope but was left stranded at third on Addison Hughes’s sixth strikeout of the night.

Hughes (12-7) went the distance in the circle, surrendering eight hits and two walks to go with her six strikeouts.

In the second game, however, the girls fell 11-3 to host Edmond Memorial (25-9), the defending State Champions.

Sand Springs led 2-0 through two innings after Rector’s two-run double in the bottom of the first, but the Bulldogs took the lead once and for all in the top of the third with four singles, a walk, and a double.

The Sandites loaded the bases with three singles and a walk in the bottom of the inning but only Hilton found her way home, on a single from Kenzie King.

Memorial exploded in the top of the fourth, scoring seven runs on seven hits, including a two-run homer by Keegan Baker.

Hilton (5-4) got the start and the loss in the circle, surrendering 14 hits and one walk. Kylie King closed out the game and allowed only two hits and one walk with four strikeouts.

Baker, a heavily recruited Division I prospect, allowed only five hits and four walks to the Sandites while striking out eight.

Sand Springs and Edmond Memorial will play again Friday at 11:00 a.m. If Sand Springs wins it’ll force an if-necessary game for the Regional title.

Hughes & Hilton Pitch No-Hitter Against Bartlesville

Addison Hughes could have gone the distance for a solo no-hitter against Bartlesville (10-20), but in the seventh inning she gave up the circle so Kelsi Hilton could close out her final game on the home field.

The senior didn’t drop the ball, tossing two strikeouts to secure the 4-0 victory Tuesday on Teacher Night.

Hughes struck out ten for her tenth win of the season with what was nearly her third perfect game of the year. The only blemish was a fourth-inning hit-by-pitch. That runner was put out on the next at-bat with a 5-2 double-play by Lakelyn Harger.

The Sandites stranded five runners over the first three innings before Kenzie King scored on a passed ball. Hilton padded the lead with a solo homer in the fifth.

Kaylei Rake hit an RBI double in the sixth to bring home Savannah Ramsey, then scored the final run of the game on a single from Hilton.

Hilton and Kenzie King both went 3-of-4 at the plate while Kylie King was 2-of-3.

On Thursday the girls fell 2-1 to Collinsville (11-15) on the road.

Bailey Copeland tagged up to score the lone run on a line out by Harger in the top of the first, but the girls stranded two runners to end the inning.

A two-run homer from Brie Smith gave Collinsville the lead in the third inning and the Sandites were unable to even the score.

Ashlyn Clark and Hilton both went 2-of-3 at the plate as the Sandites tallied seven hits.

Hughes (10-7) took the loss, surrendering five hits and two walks with six strikeouts in 2.2 innings. Hilton closed out the game and struck out six with one hit and no walks.

Sand Springs will wrap up the regular season Friday morning at the Bixby festival with back-to-back games against Pryor (14-18) and Piedmont (28-3) starting at 9:00 a.m.

Sand Springs also received its Regional Tournament assignment Thursday and will be taking to the road for a three-team playoff in Edmond.

The Sandites will play Stillwater (18-13) and Edmond Memorial (22-8) in a double-elimination round-robin tentatively scheduled for October 5-6th.

Sandites Go 1-1 at Tahlequah Festival - Teacher Night Scheduled for Tuesday

The Charles Page High School softball team (16-11) split games at the Tahlequah festival on Saturday, falling 3-0 to the host team before winning 6-5 against Coweta.

Addison Hughes (9-6) suffered the loss in a pitching dual with sophomore star Riley Dotson. The Sandite junior allowed seven hits with one walk and three strikeouts in the five-inning affair.

Dotson surrendered only three hits with no walks and three strikeouts as Tahlequah (17-10) dealt Sand Springs a rare shutout loss - only its third of the season.

In game two the Sandites only needed four hits to overcome Coweta (10-17) for the third time this season.

Kelsi Hilton (5-2) got the start and the win, striking out two, walking four, and surrendering three hits in two innings. Kylie King pitched two innings of relief and also threw three hits with one walk and one strikeout.

Lakelyn Harger hit a two-run double in the bottom of the first to give the Sandites their first lead, then scored on a single from Morgan Rector.

Hilton walked three to load the bases in the second but collected a pair of ground balls to leave the runners stranded. She added an RBI single in the bottom of the inning to bring home Bailey Copeland.

The Tigers completely undid the Sandites’ lead in the third, however, with five hits, a walk, and two errors to tie it up. They threatened to take the lead in the fourth with a single and an error, but Kenzie King collected a fly ball in left field to preserve the tie.

Finally, in the bottom of the fourth, Bella Wilson and Kaylei Rake were walked, Wilson took third base on a sacrifice bunt from Copeland, and scored on a wild pitch with Hilton at bat for the walkoff.

In addition to collecting the win in the circle, Hilton led the offense, going 2-for-2 at the plate with a run and two RBIs. Harger was 1-of-2 with a run and two RBIs and Copeland had two runs.

The Sandites were also scheduled to play Coweta on Monday but that game was cancelled. Next up will be a Tuesday battle with Bartlesville (10-18) for Teacher Night. Teachers will get in free with their school ID.

Sandites Sweep District Double-Header Against Putnam North

Sandwiched between two storms, the Charles Page High School softball team (13-8, 4-4) managed to win a key district double-header against Putnam City North (6-13, 2-7) on Monday afternoon.

The games were originally scheduled to be played Tuesday, September 5th at Putnam City, but after the long drive to Warr Acres, the Lady Sandites had to turn around and come back after just one inning due to lightning.

The games moved to the Sandites’ home field instead and play resumed right where it left off, with the home team trailing 1-0.

The Panthers held that narrow margin till the top of the fifth, despite loading the bases in the second.

Sand Springs stranded two singles in the third but wouldn’t get on the scoreboard till Kelsi Hilton came home on an error in the fifth. They stranded two more in that inning and Putnam threatened to get back on top with a pair of singles in the sixth.

But, Hilton caught a line drive at short to come in for a final at-bat and hit a full-count double to rally the troops. Lakelyn Harger and Kaylei Rake walked to load the bases.

Hilton scored the go-ahead on a passed ball and Kylie King plated an insurance run with a sacrifice fly before the Panthers found out number three.

Hilton, Bailey Copeland, and Rake collected ground balls to strand one runner in the bottom of the seventh to wrap up game one.

Addison Hughes (8-4) got the win in the pitcher’s circle with three strikeouts against six hits and two walks in six innings. Hilton (3-2) closed the game out with no hits and no walks in the seventh.

Hilton resumed pitching in the second game of the day, tossing eight strikeouts, four hits, and one walk in a 9-3 victory.

The Panthers once again took a first-inning lead on two singles, though this time the Sandites tied it up immediately on an RBI double from Harger after Bella Wilson reached on an error.

The Sandites stranded two in the third and Putnam North reclaimed the lead with an RBI double of their own in the fourth - but once again the Sandites had an answer.

This time it was Rake with the tying run on Kylie King’s ground ball fielder’s choice to second. Wilson hit an RBI single on loaded bases to bring in Kenzie King for the lead, Kylie King scored on an error, Harger hit a two-run single, and Morgan Rector scored on another error to make it 7-2 before the inning came to a close.

Monica Coats added one more run for the Panthers in the top of the sixth but Wilson responded with a triple and scored on a ground out by Rector - then Hilton hit a solo blast to left field for the final run of the game.

Just in time - the games ended not long before torrential downpours arrived in Sand Springs to threaten the rest of the week’s plans.

Sand Springs also has home double-headers scheduled against Yukon (11-11, 3-3) on Tuesday and Booker T. Washington (1-11, 0-9) on Thursday. Whether the fields will be dry enough to play remains to be seen.

Tuesday will be a Youth Night event at 4:30 p.m. Youth softball players can wear their team jersey or softball camp shirt to get free entry into the game and will also be allowed on the field to join the high school team for the anthem.

Thursday will be Senior Night, weather permitting.

Monday’s wins restored the Sandites to fourth place in the district standings, though they are in line to finish third if they can win out this week.

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.