Sandites Split Games at BA Tourney, Addison Hughes Pitches One-Hitter

Less than 16 hours after dealing Bixby a 6-4 defeat, the Charles Page High School softball team (2-1) found itself back at Spartan Stadium for a rematch in the opening round of the Broken Arrow Tournament.

This time Bixby (2-1) prevailed 6-1 in a time-limited four-inning game. Shay Barbee surrendered 12 hits in Thursday’s season opener but redeemed herself with a four-hitter on Friday.

Kylie King made her pitching debut for the Sandites and tossed six 6 hits, 1 walk, and 1 strikeout. Kelsi Hilton went 2-for-3 at the plate and scored the team’s lone run on a passed ball in the bottom of the first to go up 1-0.

Bixby responded with a four-hit, five-run third inning and added an insurance run in the fourth. The Sandites threatened a rally but stranded loaded bases on a flyout.

The Sandites got back in the win column in the second game with a 3-1 victory over perennial power Edmond Deer Creek (4-2).

Just a day after striking out 9 Spartans in her first win of the season, Addison Hughes tossed another gem with 7 strikeouts, 2 walks, and only 1 hit in five innings against the Antlers.

Kenzie King scored the opening run on a single from Lakelyn Harger, then Hilton scored on a fielder’s choice in the first inning. Hilton scored again on an RBI single from Kylie King in the third for the 3-0 lead.

Lauren Hugo averted the shutout in the fifth, hitting a triple before scoring on a sacrifice fly. Hughes caught the last batter swinging to seal the win.

Sand Springs will return to action Saturday afternoon with a 3:00 p.m. game against Jones (0-2) and at 6:00 p.m. vs. Pocola (2-2), both at Bixby High School.

Addison Hughes Strikes Out 9 in Season Opening Win at Bixby

The Charles Page High School softball team (1-0) opened the season with a 6-4 non-district road trip to Bixby (0-1) Thursday evening after rain storms pushed back the season opener twice.

The girls’ Monday game against Sapulpa was rained out and the the Bixby game was supposed to be played Tuesday at home but was rescheduled and relocated due to field conditions. The Highway 97 Rivalry matchup has yet to be rescheduled.

On Thursday the Sandites fell behind twice early in the game but bounced back each time for their first season-opener win since 2020.

The Spartans took a 1-0 first-inning lead on Brynn Daniel’s solo homer but the Sandites responded with a three-run second inning.

Lakelyn Harger lead off the second with a double, advanced on a single from Kaylei Rake, and scored on Kelsi Hilton’s ground ball single to left field to tie it up.

Kylie King scored Rake with an RBI single and Hilton scored on a sacrifice fly from Ashlyn Clark.

Bixby had its own quick response in the bottom of the inning, however, scoring three runs on three hits and an error to go up 4-3.

Harger evened things up once again with an RBI single to bring in Kenzie King in the fifth, then Hilton hit a sacrifice fly to score Bella Wilson for the lead.

Wilson added an insurance run in the seventh off Hilton’s double to center field and Addison Hughes tossed two strikeouts in the bottom of the inning to secure the win.

Hughes pitched the complete game with 6 hits, 1 earned run, 1 walk, and 9 strikeouts. Shay Barbee got the loss for Bixby, tossing 12 hits, 1 walk, and 5 strikeouts in 7 innings.

Rake went 3-of-4 at the plate while Wilson, Harger, and Hilton all went 2-of-3. Hilton was the team’s leading scorer with 3 RBIs and 1 run.

The Sandites will return to action Friday in Bixby as they look for their first tournament title since 2019.

Pool D of the Broken Arrow Tournament will be played at Bixby High School and will open with a Spartan-Sandite rematch at 10:00 a.m.

The Sandites will also play Edmond Deer Creek (3-1) at 2:30 p.m. and on Saturday will play Jones (0-2) at 3:00 p.m. and Pocola (2-0) at 6:00 p.m.

Sandite Softball Undefeated in Scrimmages, Opens Regular Season Monday

Another exciting season of Sandite Softball is officially underway as the fast pitch sluggers are just three days removed from their season-opener.

Shelli Brown’s 27th team is off to a promising start after going 4-0-1 in preseason scrimmages against the neighboring communities.

In a July 27th trip to Skiatook the girls scored nine unanswered runs in a 9-3 win by committee.

Seven different Sandites recorded a single hit apiece but freshman Bella Wilson had the most impactful plate appearance with a fourth-inning two-run triple to tie it at 3-3. She then scored the go-ahead run on a fielder’s choice.

Addison Hughes, Kylie King, and Lakelyn Harger pitched two innings apiece, combining for seven strikeouts, five hits, and two walks.

The girls took another short trip north the following day to deal Sperry a 10-1 rout.

Harger set the tone with a two-run single in the top of the first but the bats didn’t get too hot till the sixth when the girls scored five runs on six hits.

Harger and King recorded two hits apiece with a team total of 11.

The same trio of Kylie King, Harger, and Hughes once again shared the circle, surrendering only two hits with no walks and seven strikeouts.

Sand Springs returned to Skiatook on Tuesday for a 7-0 five-inning shutout. Ashlyn Clark stole the show, going 3-for-3 at the plate with two runs while the pitching staff struck out five with four hits.

On Wednesday the girls took a 13-3 lead at Berryhill before surrendering four runs in the bottom of the sixth to finish 13-7.

Hughes tossed eight strikeouts in three innings of action while the staff totaled 12 Ks and seven hits.

Kenzie King went 3-for-3 with three runs and Harger was 3-for-3 with four RBI and two doubles.

On Friday they wrapped up the preseason with a trip to Mannford that ended in a 4-4 tie after six innings.

Kenzie King scored on an RBI single from Harger in the top of the first, then Kaylei Rake hit an RBI double in the third to bring in Wilson. Rake stole home soon after and Morgan Rector hit an RBI single to score Bailey Copeland for the 4-0 lead.

Mannford got those runs back in the fourth, however, recording five hits to avert the loss.

Kenzie King was the hot hand at bat, going 2-for-3, while the pitching staff combined for 8 strikeouts, 9 hits, and 2 walks.

The first regular season game will be Monday at 5:00 p.m. when the girls host their 5A rivals from Sapulpa. Bixby will visit the Sandites on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m., then the girls will compete at the Broken Arrow tournament over the weekend.

Hailey Jackson shines in All-State Basketball

View fullsize

Hailey Jackson is no stranger to Chieftain Field House, having played there three times this past season.

Her high school career came to a close on the Sapulpa court just four months ago in a 63-38 defeat at the hands of Booker T. Washington in the Area playoffs.

It was a fitting setting for her final game representing Sand Springs, and this time she emerged triumphant as the Large East girls throttled the West 80-55 in the Oklahoma Coaches Association All-State game on Wednesday, July 26th.

“It feels really good (to be named All-State,” said Jackson. “It was one of my to-do’s.”

Jackson scored 6 points with 4 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block in 16 minutes of action from the bench.

All players saw equal playing time as both teams did full substitutions at the four-minute mark of each quarter.

Jackson entered the game with a 15-7 lead and hit her first bucket in the second quarter to go up 35-18. She added the East’s next score as well at 37-21, and scored another layup in the third to lead 59-40.

The East featured several of Jackson’s former conference foes, including Bixby’s Gracy Wernli and Gentry Baldwin, Sapulpa’s Stailee Heard, and Broken Arrow’s Taneya Howard.

It also included a former teammate in Sophia Regalado, who played varsity her freshman year at Sand Springs before finishing her high school career at Holland Hall.

“We haven’t talked that much but every once in a while we will,” said Jackson. “It was good (catching up) and hearing all of her accomplishments since freshman year.”

The two never spent any time on the court together as Regalado was part of the starting rotation. The Oklahoma Wesleyan-signee scored 3 points on an early trey to go up 8-3 and finished with 3 rebounds, a steal, and an assist.

Jackson will continue her career at Hutchinson Community College in Hutchinson, Kansas where she’ll be reunited with fellow Sandite Journey Armstead, who was also an All-State selection in 2022.

“It feels really good,” said Jackson. “I’ve been playing with her for a little while. She’s always been my point guard so it feels good to get back together with her.”

Sand Springs head coach Josh Berry was also in the stands and was introduced alongside Jackson prior to the game.

“Her growth from her freshman year to now just shows how much work she’s put in,” said Berry. “It’s just fun to see her out here enjoying it. Another All-Stater in the books for Sand Springs is always a good thing too.”

Sandite Sports Weekly Roundup: Girls Soccer Wins Collinsville Tournament

View fullsize

Track and Field

The Sand Springs junior high team kicked off its season at Ft. Gibson with several first-place finishers.

Avery Voight won at 110- and 300-meter hurdles; Kaizen Freese won in high jump; Cole Higgins won the 800-meter run; Chloe Grona won the 1600-meter run; and the seventh-grade boys won the 3200-meter relay.

Golf

It was a three-way race to lead the team at the Jenks tournament as Mason Ward, Zane Downey, and Coleman Hight all scored 85s and Cameron Villines was right behind them at 86. Next up is the Rock Creek Tournament at Sapulpa on April 12th.

Soccer

The Lady Sandites soccer team (5-2) wrapped up a successful non-district slate with a tournament title Friday, March 24th at Collinsville.

Sand Springs won 2-0 against Bartlesville JV and 3-0 against Durant (3-6) before taking down Oologah-Talala (7-2) in penalty kicks in a rematch of the previous year’s finals.

Ava Watts scored the team’s lone goal in regulation and a save from Sophia Hart secured the 5-3 shootout victory to repeat as tournament champions.

The Sandites suffered a 4-3 loss in their district opener Friday at Enid (5-2) despite a hat trick from Alyssa Cunningham.

The shorthanded visitors were down to only 12 players, missing leading scorer Watts as well as Jayden Ellenburg and Avery Miller. Those three are expected to be back in the lineup by next week but Carson Sargent also suffered a sprained ankle during the match.

Sand Springs rallied from a 2-0 deficit and tied it at 3-3 but the Pacers pulled ahead on a 25-yard penalty kick from Ava Burnett late in the match.

The boys (4-1) suffered their first loss of the year, 2-1 at Enid (6-3). The Plainsmen took a 2-0 lead before Nic Roberts averted the shutout with a penalty kick in the second half.

Both teams will return to action Tuesday at Jenks before hosting Choctaw Friday for Senior Night.

Tennis

The Lady Sandites had a successful outing at the Skiatook quad Wednesday against Skiatook and Victory Christian.

Kira Shipley defeated her Skiatook opponent 6-1, 6-1 in No. 1 Singles and Daffaney Snyder won 6-0, 6-0 against Victory Christian in No. 2 Singles.

Caitlin Shipman and Abigail Dunn won 2-0 against both Victory and Skiatook in No. 1 Doubles, beating the Conquerors 6-0 in both sets and the Bulldogs 6-4, 6-2.

Mary Alvarez and Stephanie Horton won 6-2, 6-0 against Victory in No. 2 Doubles.

Sand Springs will host a home event against Rejoice Christian and Sapulpa on Monday, April 10th.

Sandite Baseball Splits With Broken Arrow

The hunt for the 6A-3 district title is still wide open as the Charles Page High School baseball team (11-5, 4-2) split a district series with Broken Arrow (13-3, 5-1) last week.

“One of our goals every year is always to finish in the top two and host a Regional,” says head coach Matt Brown.

“We’ve put that opportunity right in front of us. When we go and play how we’re supposed to play, we’re going to end up in a good place at the end of the year.”

The Sandites have now split series with two of the top three teams in the district, making next week’s games against district-leading Jenks (12-6, 6-0) crucial. Sand Springs will play the Trojans at home on Monday and Tuesday on the road.

“Jenks hasn’t lost a district game yet so obviously they’re good,” says Brown.”And we’re pretty good too, so it should be some fun baseball games.”

On Monday the Sandites fell 7-1 to Broken Arrow despite an eight-strikeout effort from Eli Buxton (1-3). Rhen Rutledge scored the lone run on an RBI single from Schlehuber in the bottom of the first.

Schlehuber (3-0) got the win in Tuesday’s rematch with Easton Webb recording the save in a shootout.

“We’re really deep on the mound,” says Brown. “We’ve got a lot of experience on the mound and I think that’s our strength. We’re really pretty well rounded.”

The teams combined for 23 hits as the Sandites scored the most runs of any Broken Arrow opponent this season.

After falling behind 2-0 in the first, the Sandites took the lead once and for all in the second on a two-run single from Wyatt Rutledge. Elliott and Rhen Rutledge added one-run singles to go up 5-2.

The Tigers cut it to 5-4 in the third but Rhen Rutledge added his second scoring hit in the fourth to bring in Brody Rutledge, who tripled. Dom Ornelas’s fifth homer of the year put the visiting Sandites up 8-4.

“Dom is obviously our leader offensively for sure and Rhen and Brody have pretty great years so far. We’ve worked really really hard in the weight room all year long and it’s nice to see that translate out on the field.”

Broken Arrow scored two more in the fifth but Rhen Rutledge added an insurance run in the sixth on a single from Ornelas.

The Sandites had a Thursday game against Lincoln Christian rained out before winning a 6-4 non-district battle against Muskogee (4-10) on Friday.

The Sandites stormed out to a 6-0 lead before a sixth-inning Rougher rally flipped the script from blowout to nail-bitter.

“In Oklahoma, everyone’s good,” says Brown. “Every time you show up, there’s someone in the other dugout who’s capable of beating you.”

“Everybody in 6A has good kids…You lose focus for even a second and mess around - you’ll get beat.”

Four walks, a sacrifice hit from Schlehuber, and a two-run single from Wyatt Rutledge put the home team up 4-0 in the bottom of the first.

Jackson Turney added an RBI double in the second and Brody Rutledge scored on a sacrifice fly from Ornelas after a leadoff triple in the fourth.

Gage Elliott (4-0) got the start and win on the mound, fanning four with one hit in three innings.

Jace Arnold (1-1) entered the game in the fourth and struck out five before getting in a bind in the top of the sixth. After loading the bases with two walks and a single he struck out a sixth before Doc Estes blasted a bases-clearing triple to get Muskogee on the board.

Arnold ended with seven strikeouts to three hits and two walks in three innings. Webb recorded his second save of the week to close out the game.

“I really like where our program is at,” says Brown. “I feel like we can compete with anybody. I know for sure our kids aren’t scared of anybody. We’re at a place right now where our kids show up and expect to win and it doesn’t matter who’s in the other dugout. They expect to win every single time.”

Sand Springs will host Glenpool (7-11) Thursday at 5:00 p.m. before traveling to Edmond Deer Creek (10-8) on Saturday.