Stillwater defeats Sandites 9-7, Sandites must win 3-straight games to advance to State

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Photo: Scott Emigh

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The Charles Page High School varsity softball team (27-8) got off to a great start at Regionals Wednesday, shutting out Claremore (12-22) 8-0, then taking a 7-2 lead over Stillwater (25-12) into the seventh inning. The Lady Pioneers wouldn't go down without a fight, however, and rallied for seven runs in the seventh to put the game away and send Sand Springs to the consolation bracket where they will now have to win all three games of a triple-header to earn their way to the State Championship. 

Neither team landed a hit till the bottom of the third when the Sandites took a 2-0 lead. Madelyn Blair reached on an error at shortstop and was joined on base by freshman Felicity Horn who singled on a full count. Both runners scored on a double from Jessica Collins, who was joined by Sydney Pennington and Makenna Skaggs to load the bases. None of the runners would score, however, as Collins was put out at home and Skaggs was put out at second on a double play.

Pennington, an Oklahoma State University committed senior with a .564 batting average, was intentionally walked three times in the game and was never allowed to hit.

Stillwater tied things up in the top of the fourth with two hits and a trio of walks. After striking out Julia Cottrill, sophomore pitcher Jacie Taber (10-6) struck Alexis Hoang with the pitch, gave up a single to Taylor Tuck, and hit Morgan Rohwer with the pitch to load the bases. She then walked in a run and gave up a single to Laikyn Anderson to tie things up at 2-2. Rohwer was forced out at home on a fielder's choice, and Sage Fluty fried out to right field to bring in the Sandites.

The Lady Sandites exploded for three more runs in the bottom of the inning after Rachel Blair drew a walk, Presnell doubled, and Madelyn Blair doubled to score both runners. Horn was walked next, Collins was put out on a fielder's choice to land Collins at first, but Pennington was walked to load the bases. Taber hit a single to bring in Horn, but a fly out from Sabrina Usher brought the inning to a close at 5-4.

Taber struck out the first two batters of the fifth inning and put out Hoang at first to bring her team back in where Elizabeth Luttrell hit her second home run of the day to make it 6-2. Rachel Blair was walked once again, and like the first time, scored on a double from her sister.

Neither team landed a hit in the sixth inning and with only one inning left to play it looked like the Sandites had it all wrapped up. Stillwater, however, managed three hits and capitalized on Sandite errors and walks to come from behind for the win. 

Anderson reached on an error by Madelyn Blair at third base, was joined by Hunter White with a single, and scored on a single from Fluty. Gracie Ore walked to load the bases, and Cottrill was walked to score White. Hoang smacked a double to bring in Fluty and Ore, then Tuck walked to reload the bases. Rohwer reached on an error by Pennington at shortstop to score courtesy runner Landry Leming, then Hoang tagged up on a fly out by Taylor Lane to take the lead. Tuck tagged up on a fly out by Anderson for the final run of the game before White grounded out to bring in the Sandites.

Sand Springs was unable to land a hit and the Pioneers secured the victory. The Pioneers went through three pitchers over the course of the game, with Lane, Rohwer, and Caitlin Fluty all seeing action. Fluty got the win on the mound, giving up two hits and no walks with one strikeout. Taber got the loss with five hits, nine runs, five earned runs, seven strikeouts, and seven walks. 

The Sandites will return to action Thursday at noon when they replay Claremore who advanced through the consolation bracket with a 10-2 win over Sapulpa (9-20). The Sandites will not only have to beat Claremore to get a rematch with Stillwater, but they'll have to beat Stillwater twice to win the Regional and advance to State. Last year the Sandites battled their way back through the Consolations with three-straight wins after an upset by Claremore, and went on to play the State Championship game where they lost 4-3.

Lady Sandite Softball says goodbye to six seniors after this season: three will play in college

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The Charles Page High School softball team has had a heck of a ride this year and will graduate six seniors this Saturday. Cody Cheatham, Stella Millican, Kennedy "Goose" Salyers, Jessica Schuler, and Caley Thompson have all played their last games for the Sandites, but each has even bigger and better things in store. 

In the fast pitch season this fall the Lady Sandites had one of the best seasons in school history with a 31-9 record and lost the State Championship 4-3 to Choctaw in the finals. The team was shorthanded in the slow pitch season this spring and got off to a rough start, but finished with a winning record of 12-7 and had several quality wins over highly ranked opponents.

Cheatham played third base during the fast pitch season and scored 12 runs and 11 RBI with a .246 batting average, .318 slugging average, and .268 on-base percentage. She hit 13 singles, 3 doubles, and 1 triple.

Mallory played catcher during the fast pitch season and scored 6 runs and 26 RBI with a .351 batting average, .486 slugging average, and .415 OBP. She hit 26 singles, 12 doubles, and 1 home run.

Millican played right field in the fast pitch season and scored 8 runs and 5 RBI with a .164 batting average, .196 slugging average, and .329 OBP. She hit 8 singles and 2 doubles. In the slow pitch season she scored 7 runs and 18 RBI with a .423 batting average, .635 slugging average, and .524 OBP. She hit 16 singles, 2 doubles, 3 triples, and 1 home run. She also pitched a 4-3 record for a 1.40 earned run average and 2.779 WHIP. Over 41 innings she struck out 1 batter with a 61% strike percentage. Millican will be playing for the Evangels at Mid-American Christian University this fall. 

Salyers played left field and pitched during the fast pitch season and scored 53 runs and 10 RBI with a .387 batting average, .556 slugging average, and .472 OBP. She hit 28 singles, 17 doubles, and 3 triples. She amassed an incredible 18-2 record on the mound with an impressive 1.64 ERA and 1.245 WHIP. Over 119 innings she struck out 70 batters with a 66% strike percentage. In the slow pitch season she scored 33 runs and 15 RBI with a .500 batting average, .771 slugging average, and .545 OBP. She hit 23 singles, 7 doubles, 3 triples, and 2 home runs. Salyers will be playing for Southwestern Oklahoma State University in the fall.

Schuler played first base during the fast pitch season and scored 38 runs and 63 RBI with a team-high .514 batting average, .897 slugging average, and .606 OBP. She hit 36 singles, 8 doubles, 11 home runs, and 4 grand slams. In the slow pitch season she scored 26 runs and 37 RBI with a .566 batting average, 1.509 slugging average, and .662 OBP. She hit 9 singles, 6 doubles, 1 triple, 14 home runs, and 1 grand slams. She also pitched an 8-4 record for a 1.13 ERA and 2.143 WHIP. Over 72 innings she struck out 2 batters with a 38% strike percentage. Schuler will be playing for Northeastern State University this fall. 

Thompson scored 10 runs during the fast pitch season with a .160 batting average, .160 slugging average, and .192 OBP with 4 singles. She will be attending Savannah College of Art and Design this fall where she will be studying visual arts and animation programs.

The Charles Page High School graduation will be held this Saturday at the Mabee Center at 7:30 PM. Doors will open for the event at 6:00 PM.

Union wins two of three in Regional Series against Sand Springs

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The No. 14 ranked Charles Page High School slow pitch softball team (12-7) scored a pair of upsets at 9-2 and 9-3 over No. 10 Elk City (23-15) and No. 4 Union (24-6) respectively, before falling 1-0 in their second game against the Redskins. The Thursday afternoon Regional playoff was a double-elimination bracket, and Union rebounded from their first loss to the Sandites with a low-scoring game that saw only five total hits from the two teams. 

Game two against Union was far different from the first game which had twenty hits between the two teams. Senior Northeastern State University-signee Jessica Schuler (8-4) got the loss on the mound, despite giving up zero earned runs, and only two hits and two walks. 

The lone run of the game came on a sacrifice fly from Mackenzie Addis to score Jackie Self, who reached on an error in left field. The Lady Sandites stranded a total of four runners over the course of the game in their only shutout loss of the season. 

With each team holding a 2-1 tournament record, the Redskins avenged their earlier loss with a 16-2 payback for the Regional Title and a ticket to State. 

The host team took a quick 4-0 lead in the top of the first as Sammy Ibison and Lexy Dobson each singled, then scored on an error in left field that allowed Addis to reach second. Another error on the same play, this time at third base, allowed Addis to reach third. She soon after came home on a throw. Toni Weese doubled to bring in Paige Boyle, who also doubled.

Sydney Pennington hit her second homer of the day to get the Sandites on the board, but it would be the last run the girls scored till the bottom of the fourth.

Union added two more in the top of the fifth as Britton Clark doubled in Dobson and Brylee Dickinson sacrificed to bring in Addis. 

The top of the fourth is where the Redskins effectively put the win out of reach for the Sandites, racking up another six runs with four coming on errors. Kimi Presnell drew a walk for the Sandites and came in on a double by Madelyn Blair, but Union caked on three more runs in the top of the fifth. The Lady Sandites failed to get on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fifth and Union won it by mercy rule to end the season for the Sandites. 

Schuler got the loss on the mound in game two, with Stella Millican (4-3) pitching the final inning.

Photo galleries from Regionals and the rest of the season can be found at https://sanditepride.smugmug.com/2016-Slow-Pitch-Softball

Lady Sandite Softball advances in playoffs with 9-2 victory over Elk City

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The No. 14 ranked Charles Page High School slow pitch softball team (11-5) breezed through its first opponent at the Regional playoff Thursday morning, handily defeating No. 10 Elk City (23-14) behind the steady arm of senior pitcher Jessica Schuler (7-2), who also hit the go-ahead first inning home run.

Schuler, who is signed to play for Northeastern State University in the fall, only gave up two runs and a handful of hits in the dominating performance that was all wrapped up in the first inning.

The Elkettes scored two runs in the top of the first inning, but from there it was the Sandites’ game. Schuler’s homer, her fourteenth of the season, scored Kennedy “Goose” Salyers and Sydney Pennington for the 3-2 lead and the girls only continued to rack up the runs from there.

In the bottom of the fourth Schuler singled and courtesy runner Kellie Johnson scored a run on an error. Jessica Collins doubled and came home on a fielder’s choice. The biggest offensive output came in the bottom of the fifth as Collins singled in Jacie Taber and Kimi Presnell. Madelyn Blair singled in Johnson and Stella Millican singled in Collins for the final run of the game. 

The Lady Sandites will get a brief break while Elk City battles the No. 4 Union Redskins (21-5), then Sand Springs will play take on the host team. 

The photo gallery from the first game can be found at https://sanditepride.smugmug.com/2016-Slow-Pitch-Softball/42816-Sand-Springs-vs-Elk-City

 

Destiny Johnson and Sandite Freshmen major factor in first winning season in half decade

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Destiny Johnson

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Three freshman started and five saw action on the Charles Page High School ladies' basketball team this season and all were major players in pushing a turn-around program the final step into their first winning season in half a decade. 

The program pulled a complete 180 after a 2011 State Tournament-appearing team graduated several starters and won only a single game the following year. 2012-2013 wasn't much better, posting a 2-20 record.

Holly Kersgieter

In 2013, Dustin Morrow took over the program and the team went 10-14, a drastic improvement, but still a losing record. Last season the girls won the regular season but went 1-2 in the playoffs for a final record of 12-12. The eighth grade girls, however, went 28-0 for an undefeated Frontier Valley Conference Championship.

This season those girls were the difference makers, adding depth to a small but talented team that lost three players the year before. Jacie Taber, Holly Kersgieter, Destiny Johnson, Kimi Presnall, and Isabella Regalado combined for 40% of the team's points this season with Johnson coming in as the second-highest scoring player on the whole team.

Bella Regalado

"DJ" Johnson continued a new tradition of freshman excellence. For the last three years, at least one freshman has registered a 200+ point season. Sydney Pennington debuted with 376 in 2012-2013, Gloria Mutiri scored 200 last season, and Johnson finished with 212 this year. She was a major inside threat, shooting 46% on two-pointers and 67% on free throws for an average of 8 points and 3 rebounds per game. She doubled nine times, led her team in scoring four times, and set a personal-best of 15 points against Owasso. She was also named to the All-Tournament team at the Bishop Kelley Invitational.

Kimi Presnell

Jacie Taber and Kimi Presnall also made an impact on the State Runner-Up Softball team this fall, then scored 21 points each in their first year at varsity basketball. 

Isabella Regalado, daughter of Vic Regalado, the Republican nominee for Tulsa County Sheriff, scored 90 points, more than 3 PPG, and set a team-high career-high of 17 in an upset win over 5A No.4 ranked Shawnee in the championship game at the Bishop Kelley Invitational. She averaged 41% on two-pointers, 50% on free throws, and snatched about 2.5 rebounds per-game, and saw action in every game this season.

Jacie Taber

Holly Kersgieter came in fourth in team-scoring with 166 points and a career-high 14 against Shawnee. Playing in every game this season, and starting most of them, she averaged 6 points and 3.5 rebounds per game while shooting 45% on two-pointers and 79% on free throws.

The depth of quality competitors allowed the Sandites to run a solid bench against their opponents and give the whole team more resting time during games. The young Sandite talent will only increase next year as the girls only graduate one starter, Cierra Scott, and inherit yet another incoming class of undefeated 8th grade girls.

Sydney Pennington finishes third straight season with 300+ points

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Charles Page High School junior Sydney Pennington finished her third-straight season as the leading scorer for the varsity basketball team and crossed the career 1,000 mark midway through the season in a 12-point loss to No.2 Muskogee. 

The 2015-2016 school year was actually Pennington's lowest-scoring season of her career, due to sharing the ball with a team of incoming freshman stars who had just gone undefeated to claim the Frontier Valley Conference title. 

That didn't stop her from running up another 300+ point season en route to an Area playoff performance.

The Oklahoma State University softball-commit doubled in 19 of 26 games this season, led her team in ten of them, and scored a season-high 22 points in three of them. Her career-high remains a 32-point game against Muskogee during her sophomore year.

Starting all 26 games this season, Pennington averaged over 51% on both field goal attempts and free throws and made off with about 3 steals and 5 rebounds per game. With 1,106 total points over 74 starts, she's averaged just under 15 PPG and (between basketball and softball) is easily one of the most impressive athletes in school history. She was twice named Sandite of the Week.

The Lady Sandites amassed a 17-9 record, their best since the 2011 team made the State Tournament, and finished the season 5th in conference standings while ranked 11th in 6A.

Stay tuned for more highlights on CPHS athletes in the week-to-come!