The Charles Page High School fast pitch softball team (13-7) went undefeated at the Choctaw/Carl Albert tournament this weekend, beating four quality teams to win the tournament title. The Sandites topped Tuttle 5-1, Stillwater 12-2, Choctaw 6-5, and Chickasha 7-3.
The pool play style tournament featured twelve teams playing four or five games apiece with no bracket. In the event of two undefeated teams, the Champion would be decided by run differential, but that tie-breaker wasn’t needed as Sand Springs was the only squad with a perfect weekend.
In the first game of the tournament Sand Springs defeated the defending 4A State Champions from Tuttle (18-2), snapping a sixteen-game win streak by the Tigers. Mackenzie Bechtold (3-1, 7-1) got the win in the circle with two strikeouts, five hits, and no walks. Madi Hicks took the loss with nine hits, two walks, and two strikeouts.
Tuttle was first on the board after Madi Surber hit a single, took third on an error, and came home on a sacrifice fly. That would be their only run of the game, however. The Sandites took the lead in the bottom of the third with two walks and three hits. Aliyah Taff batted in Madison Lee with a single and Jolee McNally scored on an error. McNally brought in Rachel Jones on a sacrifice fly in the fourth and on a single in the sixth, and Jones singled in Avery Tanner.
The Sandites’ next game only lasted four innings as they run-ruled Stillwater (5-10) with eleven hits and seven Pioneer errors. Aliyah Taff (5-4, 9-10) only gave up two hits and one walk with four strikeouts.
Lee, Sabrina Usher, Taff, Horn, and Jones had two runs apiece, and Bechtold and Tanner scored one each. Lee led the offense with three hits and two RBI. Sand Springs took a 7-0 lead in the first inning, added a run in both the second and third, then drove in three more in the fourth for the 12-0 lead before letting the Pioneers on the board.
On Saturday the girls edged out Choctaw (10-6) in a game that saw almost identical performances from the two teams. Both had three errors and two walks, but Choctaw actually outhit the Sandites 7 to 5. The two teams have had a heated rivalry in recent years since the Yellowjackets beat the Sandites 4-3 in the 2015 State Championship game.
Both teams put up three runs apiece in the second inning. Horn and Jones scored on RBI singles from Hawkins and Tanner, and Hawkins scored on an error. The Yellowjackets tied it immediately with three hits, a walk, and an error.
Bechtold got the start at pitcher and threw through the tie before being relieved by Taff in the third inning. Choctaw took the lead on an error but Usher secured the victory with a three-run homer in the fourth.
Taff got the win with two hits and one walk in three innings. Bechtold tossed five hits, one walk, and one strikeout in two innings. Emma Jackson took the loss with five hits, three walks, and three strikeouts.
In the final game of the tournament the Sandites took an early lead and never trailed against Chickasha (13-5) despite committing two errors and giving up five walks.
Usher batted in McNally in the first inning, Lee brought in Tanner in the second, then Usher hit a three-run homer to score Lee and Jaden Jordan. Lee batted in Tanner again in the fourth, then stole home for the final Sandite run.
The Fighting Chicks got on the board in the top of the fifth after a wild pitch sailed into the dugout, giving Analise Eaton time to steal three bases and score. Allyson Arthur scored on a catcher’s error and Alli Bordwine came in on a single from Valerie Ingraham for the final run of the game.
Freshman Nataley Crawford (3-2) got the win with two hits and four walks in four innings. Raegan Rector (0-0, 0-1) made her season debut midway through the fifth with one hit, one walk, and one strikeout.
Sand Springs softball will return to action Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. with a district home game against Ponca City (6-14, 1-6). The Sandites are 5-1 in district action, tied for second place.
