The Charles Page High School fast pitch softball team is headed to the OSSAA Class 6A State Tournament for the fourth straight year after winning their sixteenth Regional Championship Wednesday evening.
The Sandites defeated Enid 18-0 in the first round, but fell 3-1 to Union in game two. In the loser’s bracket they brutalized Enid once again, this time 16-0 for a rematch with Union, which they won 10-0 to force a tie-breaker game. They won that bout 13-7 to earn their ticket to Shawnee.
The Sandites had their best hitting performance of the season in the first game with Enid, batting .586 as a team with seventeen hits. Jacie Taber got the win on the mound with seven strikeouts, two walks and no hits in three innings. Mackenzie Bechtold pitched two innings of relief and threw three strikeouts, one walk, and no hits.
SEE RELATED: CPHS Softball: Sandites shut out Enid 18-0 in playoff no-hitter, Usher hits home run
Madelyn Blair pitched the seven inning loss to Union, tossing eight hits, four strikeouts, and no walks. SEE RELATED: CPHS Softball: Sandites upset 3-1 by Union, play Wednesday at noon
The rematch with Enid was only a hair less impressive than the first game as Bechtold shut out the Pacers with six strikeouts and no walks to only one hit. The girls had their second-best batting average of the season at .545 and their second-best slugging average at 1.00 with nine doubles. Taber and Usher hit home runs and Usher was a perfect four-for-four at the plate. Taber was three-of-four and led the team with four RBI.
Taber got the 10-0 shutout win over Union with four strikeouts, three hits, and two walks. Sand Springs dominated their foes with twelve hits, including five doubles. Felicity Horn was three-for-three at bat. Taber had a team-high two runs, and Usher and Horn led in RBI with three apiece. The game started uneventfully with one run in the third, and one in the fourth. But the Sandites exploded in the bottom of the fifth for the run-rule victory.
The final game was the longest of the season for Sand Springs, and it was an absolute slugfest. The two teams combined for twenty runs, 21 hits, sixteen walks, four errors, and stranded seventeen total runners. Blair got the start on the mound, throwing seven hits and two walks before being relieved by Taber midway through the third. Taber finished out with three hits, one strikeout, and four walks for the win. The Sandites never trailed, but Union threatened throughout. SEE RELATED: CPHS Softball: Sandites win fourth-straight Regional Championship
The State Tournament was previously held at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, but will be moving to The Ballfields at Firelake at 18160 Rangeline, Shawnee this year.
Deer Creek (27-3) won their Regional 3-0 and are riding an eleven game win streak. They won their lone State title in 2003.
Edmond North (27-3) won their Regional 3-0 and are riding a fourteen game win streak. The Huskies won State titles in 2004 and 2012.
Owasso (25-9) won their Regional 2-0. Their only State title was won in 1995.
Broken Arrow (32-5) won their Regional 2-0. The Tigers hold eleven State titles, most recently in 2009.
Westmoore (28-5) will play Southmoore (22-11) Thursday for the Regional title.
Yukon (21-8) will play Mustang (17-11) Thursday for the Regional title.
Jenks (24-9), Bartlesville (15-15), and Stillwater (17-9) will begin their Regional Tournament Thursday.
This article will be updated at the conclusion of the Regional playoffs.
Team Leaders
