Sandite Softball Drops Key District Double-Header With Yukon
/Twice on Monday the Sandite softball team found itself down close to Yukon with momentum late in the game, but each time the girls were unable to close the gap.
Charles Page High School (15-10, 6-6) fell 11-8 and 3-2 to Yukon (13-13, 6-5) on Youth Night to drop to fifth place in the district standings.
In the first game the Sandites took a 5-3 lead into the fourth inning with a home run from Lakelyn Harger before surrendering six runs to the Millers.
Rayann Moore led off the fourth inning with a single and Chasidy Conner drew a walk before the Sandites switched from Addison Hughes to Kelsi Hilton in the circle.
The change didn’t slow the Yukon tide, however, as the next three Millers singled. Adleigh Martinez walked to load the bases and two runners scored on an error. Maddie Ogle brought in another run with a sacrifice hit to make it 9-5.
The home team clawed their way back into it in the sixth inning with a walk, two errors, and a two-run single from Morgan Rector to make it 9-8, but Yukon got back to scoring in the seventh with a two-run homer from Victoria Hughes.
Bella Wilson reached on an error in the bottom of the seventh but was left stranded to end the game.
Addison Hughes (9-5) took the loss, throwing nine hits, two walks, and four strikeouts with five earned runs in 5.2 innings. She reentered the game midway through the fifth to close out.
Hilton (4-2) threw 1.1 innings with three hits, one walk, one strikeout, and one earned run.
Rector had a team-best batting performance, going 3-of-4 with four RBIs in the game, while Harger was 2-of-4 with two runs and two RBIs.
Aubrey Busby got the win for Yukon, surrendering nine hits, five walks, and one strikeout in six innings.
Yukon out-hit the Sandites 12 to 9 in the first game, but the Sandites actually had an 11 to 10 advantage in game two.
Despite seeing zero drop-off at the plate in game two, both teams struggled to bring runners home.
Sand Springs stranded two singles in the first inning and Yukon took the lead with an RBI single from Ogle.
Wilson hit a triple in the fifth and tied it up on a ground out from Bailey Copeland, and the Sandites briefly took the lead in the sixth on an RBI double from Kylie King.
Yukon had a response, however, with two hits to lead off the bottom of the inning. Ariah Mitchell singled and tied it up on a ground out by Moore, then Conner hit an RBI single to bring in Ogle for the lead.
Sand Springs got out of a jam with a throw home from King to stop a run and Harger got a strikeout to strand loaded bases, but Hilton was the lone base runner in the seventh for Sand Springs, left stranded after a double.
King (2-3) got the start and the loss, throwing nine hits, no walks, and four strikeouts in 5.1 innings. Harger closed out the game, tossing one hit, one walk, and one strikeout in two-thirds of an inning.
King went 3-for-3 at the plate with one RBI while Hilton was 3-of-4.
The Sandites were scheduled to host Muskogee (13-14) Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. for Teacher Night but the game was cancelled due to wet fields.
Sand Springs has won 13 in a row against the Roughers in a streak dating back to 2015. They already beat Muskogee once this year, 5-3 at the Bixby tournament.