CPHS Softball: Sandites win fourth-straight Regional Championship
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After a 3-1 upset to Union in the second round of the 6A Regional Championship, the Charles Page High School softball team rattled off three-straight wins to earn their fourth-straight and sixteenth total Regional title Wednesday evening at the Sandite Softball Complex.
Sand Springs (23-8) defeated Enid 16-0 in the loser’s bracket and paid back their earlier loss with a 10-0 five-inning run-rule victory over Union (20-21) earlier in the day. With both teams holding one loss in the double-elimination tournament, they went to a do-or-die Championship match that the Sandites won 13-7.
Rogers State University-commit Kimi Presnell hit a home run on the first at-bat of the game and that set the pace for the shootout to come. Madelyn Blair hit a full count single with two outs to keep the inning alive. Jacie Taber reached on an error and scored alongside courtesy runner Drew Hawkins off a double from Felicity Horn for the 3-0 lead before Union came in to bat.
Delaney Mills hit a single in the bottom of the inning but was too ambitious and got put out on the throw to second. Madelyn Blair hit one Redskin for a walk, but the runner was left stranded as Sand Springs came in for another successful offensive. Jenson Arnold singled and Madison Lee ran courtesy. Presnell drew a walk and a fielder’s choice advanced Lee to third, setting up a full count RBI double from Sabrina Usher.
Hailey McPherson hit a single in the bottom of the second, but Presnell made a double play on the next at-bat with a tag and a throw to first. Kallie Lund and Jordan Carroll hit singles, but both were stranded as Elizabeth Luttrell caught a ground ball for the force at first.
Taber hit a home run in the top of the third for a 5-0 lead. Lund walked three-straight, setting up Presnell for a sacrifice fly to score Felicity Horn, but a force at first stranded two to keep the Redskins alive.
Union finally began to battle back in the bottom of the third with back to back doubles from Mills and Lauryn Adams, the latter scoring the former. Adrianna Young singled but was put out on a fielder’s choice. Then McPherson scored Adams and Unique Robinson on a home run to cut the deficit to 6-4.
Taber took over pitching from there and the inning ended with no further scores after Cameron Clemons caught a line drive at third and Usher made a throw to second to avert a steal. Blair finished with eight hits and two walks.
Union had a pitching change on the way as well after walking two to load the bases. Lund finished the game with six hits, seven walks, and one strikeout. Things didn’t improve, however. Blair walked in, Luttrell batted in Horn and Clemons, and Presnell doubled in Raegan Rector to make it 10-4.
The Redskins scored one on a wild pitch and one on an error in the bottom of the inning to claw their way back into it. McPherson hit an RBI single to make it 10-7 before Blair caught an infield fly to end the melee.
Usher and Taber kicked off the next Sandite offensive with a pair of singles and Horn walked to load the bases. Clemons batted in Usher with a sacrifice fly, but the Sandites stranded two with a strikeout.
The Sand Springs infield showed off in the bottom of the inning with line drive catches from Clemons and Presnell. Taber walked one, but Blair caught a pop fly for the final out. Union started the sixth hot with two fly outs, but Usher hit a 2RBI homer to score Skaggs and make it 13-7.
The Sandites had their only scoreless inning in the seventh, but they held the Redskins scoreless as well to secure the win after three long hours. Taber gave up four hits and four walks with one strikeout.
