CPHS Softball: Sandites improve to 6-0 with wins over Silo, Mustang, Edmond North

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The Charles Page High School varsity softball team (6-0) continued its undefeated start to the season with a trio of tournament wins over Silo (3-2), Mustang (2-2), and Edmond North (2-7) this weekend at the Sandite Softball Complex. The games were part of the Broken Arrow Tournament, but were relocated to Sand Springs due to soggy fields at Arrowhead Park. 

The Sandites jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first Friday against Silo as Jaden Jordan hit her second home run of the season. Nobody scored again till the bottom of the fourth when the Rebels went off with three singles and a pair of sacrifices to take a 3-2 lead. 

Sand Springs tied it up in the top of the sixth with a run from Madison Lee and the game went into extra innings at 3-3. Because it was a tournament, the game went to international tie breaker in the eighth inning, and each team started their at-bats with a runner on second. 

Silo was in prime position after striking out the first two Sandites, but Raegan Rector drew a walk and Jordan and Aliyah Taff hit RBI singles for the 5-3 lead. Gracie Lawless scored Silo’s final run of the game on an error.

Taff (4-0, 21-14) got the win in the circle with seven hits and three strikeouts, while Christina Clark got the loss with six hits, three walks, and seven strikeouts. 

The game against Mustang was another close one at 3-2 on Friday. Cassie Passwaters hit a solo home run for the Broncos in the top of the first. Lee scored on an error to tie it, Rector scored on a passed ball, and Avery Tanner  batted in Jordan with an RBI single to make it 3-1. Passwaters batted in another run on a sacrifice in the sixth, but that would be the final score of the game. 

Nataley Crawford (2-0, 5-2) got the win with three hits, two strikeouts, and two walks. Kiera McGahee took the loss with four hits, two strikeouts, and two walks.

On Saturday the Sandites got their first shutout of the year 7-0 against Edmond North behind a two-hit, no-walk, five-strikeout pitching performance from Taff. Drew Hawkins was two-for-two at the plate with two runs, two RBI, and a double.

Sand Springs piled on five runs in the top of the first with singles from Lee and Rector, and doubles from Taff, Hawkins, and Olivia Alexander. In the top of the sixth Alexander had another double to score Tanner, and Hawkins scored on a ground hit from Crawford. Morgan Thomas took the loss for the Huskies with six hits, no walks, and two strikeouts.

Sandite softball will return to action Saturday night at 8:00 p.m. against Bristow (3-1) in the final game of the tournament.

CPHS Softball: Sandites roll Bartlesville 12-2

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Drew Hawkins rounds third base in a home game against Ponca City.

Drew Hawkins rounds third base in a home game against Ponca City.

The Charles Page High School varsity softball team improved to 3-0 on the season with a 12-2 non-district win over Bartlesville (1-1) Thursday evening on the road. The game was the biggest win yet for the Sandites, who have won their first three games by at least eight runs apiece.

Sand Springs jumped out to an early lead as Madison Lee singled and scored on a fielder’s choice. Next up was Olivia Alexander with an RBI double to score Avery Tanner in the second, then Brooklyn Harper scored on a passed ball for a 3-0 lead.

Macie Schaper got the home team on the board with an RBI single in the bottom of the second, then Shaileigh Gilkey made it a one-run game with an RBI single in the third.

The Sandites padded their lead in the fourth, kicking off the inning with three straight singles. Drew Hawkins scored on an RBI single from Alexander, then Nataley Crawford hit a two-run triple. Lee sacrificed to bring in Crawford, then Raegan Rector and Jaden Jordan hit back-to-back doubles to make it 9-2.

The next two innings went scoreless, but the Sandites had another hot streak in the seventh. Jordan and Hawkins picked up walks. Tanner scored Jordan on a double, then Alexander hit a two-run single for the final runs of the game.

Sophomore pitcher Nataley Crawford (1-0, 4-2) picked up her first win of the season, throwing seven hits, five strikeouts, and two walks in seven innings. Tanner and Alexander had three hits apiece, Tanner had three runs, and Alexander had four RBI.

Sand Springs softball will return to action Friday morning in the Broken Arrow Tournament. Originally scheduled for Arrowhead Park in Broken Arrow, the games have been moved to Sand Springs due to wet fields. The girls will play Silo (2-1) at 10:00 a.m. and Mustang (2-0) at 12:00 p.m.

CPHS Softball: Aliyah Taff strikes out 15 in 9-1 win over Ponca City, Jaden Jordan hits homer

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The Charles Page High School varsity softball team won its home-opener Tuesday night at the Sandite Softball Complex, beating Ponca City 9-1 in district action. Senior pitcher Aliyah Taff (2-0, 19-14) struck out 15 batters in the dominant win, and sophomore Jaden Jordan hit the first home run of the season.

The Sandites (2-0, 1-0) out-hit the Wildcats 12-4 while batting .413 as a team with only one strikeout and one error. The Wildcats (0-3, 0-1) were only .148 as a team with 16 strikeouts and one error.

Taff struck out the side in the first and second innings, and the Sandites began to click offensively in the bottom of the second. Avery Tanner hit a two-RBI single to score Makenzie Burks and Drew Hawkins.

Three more Wildcats struck out in the third, and Raegan Rector brought in Kelsi Hilton with a double before scoring on Jordan’s homer. Hawkins reached on an error and scored on a single from Brooklyn Harper to make it 6-0.

Ponca finally found some steam in the fourth inning with a pair of singles and a fielder’s choice to load the bases. Taff walked in one run before recording her twelfth strikeout, then came in to hit an RBI single, scoring Hilton.

In the sixth inning Jordan hit an RBI single to score Hilton, then Taff and Hawkins loaded the bases with singles. Tanner recorded another RBI to bring in Jordan for the final run of the game. Nataley Crawford (3-2) pitched the final inning and threw one strikeout.

Libby Clark pitched all six innings for the Wildcats and threw twelve hits, one strikeout, and four walks. Taff threw only two walks in the win.

Sand Springs softball will return to action Thursday at 7:00 p.m. with a non-district road game in Bartlesville (1-0). Ponca will travel to Muskogee (0-0) Saturday at noon for a district double-header.

CPHS Softball: Lady Sandites throttle Tahlequah 10-1 in season-opener

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The Charles Page High School softball team is back in action. The girls had their spring slow pitch season canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but, for now, it looks like the fall fast pitch season will be played. Sand Springs is in pursuit of its sixth-consecutive Regional title, and that journey started Monday evening in Tahlequah with a dominant 10-1 victory.

The team has several big pairs of cleats to fill, having graduated Makenna Skaggs, Rachael Jones, Jordyn Pearson, Felicity Horn, Sabrina Usher, and Mackenzie Bechtold. Last year’s senior class accounted for nearly half of the team’s scoring.

Fortunately, the Sandites have plenty of talented underclassmen to fill the ranks. “A lot of kids were able to get some game time in last year, so I’m hoping that helps this year,” says Head Coach Shelli Brown. “We have some new faces in some positions and some players that played some last year could become starters so hopefully the experiences will help in game situations.”

“I’m looking forward to see how my seniors take on the leadership role this year. They’re a small group but they work hard and they’re great kids. They’ve had two previous senior groups that hopefully they have learned from in the last two years. I think my junior class will also provide some leadership also. Those two groups will provide experience on the field and that will help our younger players.”

Throughout the preseason the team has followed strict protocols to reduce potential spread of COVID-19. All practices have been held outside when weather cooperated. When practices are held indoors, they have been done in small groups.

"I think having the time off made them even more excited to be back,” says Brown. “We have good chemistry and we are just working through the changes with COVID and they’ve been doing a great job.”

Sand Springs is in its 24th year under Brown, who holds a 574-316 record in fast pitch. Her expectations for the season are to get better with each game, to bond as a team, to stay healthy and injury-free, and to focus on each game, one day at a time.

In Monday’s season-opening win, the team combined for 15 hits and a .694 slugging average with six doubles and two triples. Senior pitcher Aliyah Taff (1-0, 18-14) threw two hits, two walks, and seven strikeouts in six innings for the win. Sophomore Nataley Crawford (3-2) tossed one strikeout and one walk in one inning of relief.

Crawford hit a triple to kick off the top of the third, then scored the opening run on a ground out from Raegan Rector. Makenzie Burks scored on a double from Brooklyn Harper in the fourth, then the girls ran away with it in the fifth inning. Jaden Jordan, Taff, and Drew Hawkins hit three-straight RBI doubles for the 5-0 lead.

Tahlequah averted the shutout with an RBI double in the bottom of the sixth to make it 6-1, but the visitors put together their best inning in the seventh. Hawkins and Crawford hit doubles and freshman Kelsi Hilton hit a two-run triple for the final score.

The Sandites also won all four of their pre-season scrimmages this past week, by a combined score of 42-2.

Last Monday they took on their Berryhill neighbors and shut out the Maidens 6-0. Taff and Rector combined for five strikeouts and gave up only one hit in the pitcher’s circle, while the offense combined for seven hits, including a double from JoLee McNally.

On Tuesday they dominated Skiatook 15-1, with seven runs in the bottom of the seventh. Rector, Taff, Crawford, and Hilton allowed eight hits against six strikeouts and three walks. Skiatook scored their only run in the top of the first and led till the bottom of the fourth. Sand Springs amassed 15 hits, including four doubles and a triple from Rector.

They beat Skiatook again on Wednesday, this time 18-0, once again with a seven-run seventh inning. The same four pitchers tossed seven strikeouts this time while only allowing four hits. Offensively the team totaled 22 hits. Rector and Jordan hit two doubles apiece, Madison Lee scored four runs, and Hilton scored four RBI.

Thursday was a much closer win, but it came against the 4A State Semifinalists from Oologah, 3-1. Both teams recorded only five hits, but the Sandites had three doubles, while the Mustangs were limited to singles.

Sandite softball will play its home opener Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. against Ponca City in their first district battle of the year. Fans will be required to wear masks while attending the game.

High school sports scheduled to start next week, masks will be required for fans

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Charles Page High School softball and volleyball are scheduled to begin next week, with football and cross country soon to follow. The teams have been practicing and scrimmaging for the past few weeks with no known cases of COVID-19 spread.

The spring season was canceled earlier this year, depriving the boys’ basketball team of a State Tournament appearance, and robbing the slow pitch softball, baseball, soccer, tennis, and golf teams of almost their entire season.

The Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association declined to enforce specific rules for high schools to follow as the new season begins, but the schools can be expected to enact their own precautions to ensure the season continues as safely as possible.

Sand Springs athletic events will be requiring masks for all participants, coaches, workers, officials, and fans entering school property. Participants, officials, and coaches will be allowed to remove their masks when they reach their playing field or court, but fans will be expected to remain covered at all times.

Sand Springs ticket takers and sellers will be masked and gloved, and will remain behind a plexiglass partition. The district is also encouraging fans to purchase an All-Sport Season Pass to reduce contact with box office workers.

The district is discouraging pre and post-game handshakes, high-fives, fist bumps, etc. Athletes will not be allowed to share towels, clothing, shoes, or water bottles. Shared equipment like bats, helmets, and catcher’s gear will be disinfected between users.

“We have been following a pretty strict routine each day with our athletes and coaches,” says Athletic Director Rod Sitton. “We have a COVID-19 questionnaire that each player must answer before entering our facilities. We are also doing temperature checks at the gate/door each day. So far we have dodged the bullet.”

“As far as competitions we will follow (these) guidelines both at home and when traveling. The guidelines also dictate what the fans can expect when coming to a Sandite Athletic event.  We are not planning on reducing the number of fans that can attend our events. Of course this could all change tomorrow. People following the guidelines will help us to keep Athletics going and open to the public.  Again I must reiterate that this can all change in a moments notice as everything has to be fluid during this pandemic.“

Sandite Softball will travel to Tahlequah Monday at 5:00 p.m. to start their season, while the volleyball team will host Bixby Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. Cross Country won’t start their year till the 27th at the Owasso Ram Relays, while the football team will travel to Sapulpa on the 28th.

Cheyenne Henry signs with Eastern Oklahoma State

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Charles Page High School Class of 2019 graduate Cheyenne Henry has signed to play softball at Eastern Oklahoma State College (EOSC) following one season at Barton Community College in Great Bend, Kansas.

Henry has a history as a two-sport athlete, playing varsity volleyball in high school before focusing on softball at the next level. Barton saw its spring softball season cut short this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ending the year with a 10-9 record. Henry appeared in nine games as a pitcher/utility player and was 0-1 in the circle with a 7.27 ERA and six strikeouts in eight innings. She had a 1.00 fielding percentage, .333 batting average, and .500 on-base percentage.

EOSC is a two-year community college in Wilburton, Oklahoma. The Mountaineers compete in the NJCAA and went 14-12 in this year’s shortened season.