It was a long night for the Charles Page High School softball team (8-5, 2-2), but at 11:35 p.m., a Thursday district double-header loss came to a close.
After a two-hour heat delay, the Sandites could have ended the night early on multiple occasions as perennial powerhouse Moore (12-2, 4-1) teetered on the edge of run-rule territory, but each time the Lions looked like they had it in the bag, the young Sandites clawed their way back into it.
“They’ve got the determination, if they just can clean up the ballgame a little bit,” said head coach Shelli Brown. “It’s their errors that got them tonight. We finally got where we were scoring some runs…they get that energy going, and then we’d have a momentum shift because we’d make an error.”
Nichelle Marshall set the tone of the shootout to come with a solo homer in the first inning of game one, the first of five for the Lady Lion bomb squad. Karlie Curtis added a two-run blast in the fourth to go up 3-0.
The Sandites were in good position to tie it up in the bottom of the fourth after loading the bases with no outs, but, after a pitching change, only Kelsi Hilton was able to score, on a fielder’s choice before Erika Summitt struck out two.
Libby Jaques, a heavily recruited Division I prospect, was next to go yard for the Lions with a two-run blast in the fifth.
Moore snuck two more across home plate on a fielder’s choice and a bases-loaded walk in the sixth before Lakelyn Harger collected a popout at third to prevent a potential run rule.
The home team’s bats finally got hot in the bottom of the seventh after Kenzie and Kylie King singled and Bella Wilson brought home the freshman sister with a double to left field.
Morgan Rector followed it up with a sacrifice fly to left to score Bailey Copeland and Wilson before the game finally came to a close.
Addison Hughes (5-2) suffered the complete game loss, tossing four strikeouts, five walks, and eight hits.
The bats stayed hot through game two, though once again the Sandites were chasing Moore from the very beginning.
Wilson gave Sand Springs its only lead on a groundout by Harger in the top of the first, but Moore surged back to a 6-1 lead on four hits, three walks, and two errors in the bottom of the inning.
Kylie King singled to kick off a two-out rally. Two walks loaded the bases for Rector and Hilton to hit RBI singles, then Wilson scored on a wild pitch.
Ashlyn Clark doubled in the third and scored on a passed ball to make it a one-run game in the top of the third, but Moore responded handily with an RBI single from Brooklynn Dahlke and a two-run blast from Rogers State-commit Karlee Smith. Moore immediately reloaded the bases, but Harger struck out Southwestern Christian-commit Trinity Norwood looking to end the inning.
Down 9-5, Harger hit a two-out, two-run double, then came in on an RBI single from Kaylei Rake. Harger scored on an error and Kenzie King hit an RBI double to tie it up and suddenly it was a whole new game.
And as quickly as the momentum shifted to Sand Springs, it shifted right back to Moore.
Makiah Brumbelow-Neal hit a leadoff homer and the Lions loaded the bases with no outs before Kylie King caught a line drive and tagged first for a double play. Marlee Uzzle scored on a wild pitch to make it 11-9 before Curtis grounded out to short to end the inning.
Harger made it a one-run came in the sixth, doubling before taking third on a wild pitch and scoring on a groundout by Hughes.
But the Lions kept charging with a two-run error in the bottom of the inning. Another error, a single, and a walk reloaded the bases and Neal hit a two-run single before Uzzle made it 16-10 on another error.
Sand Springs tried to muster one last rally, and Hilton hit a sacrifice fly to score Wilson, but a pop fly to second base brought the night to a close.
Kylie King (2-2) suffered the loss, surrendering six earned runs, seven hits, and four walks in one inning. Harger tossed one strikeout, four walks, eight hits, and five earned runs in three innings. Hughes tossed one walk, two hits, and no earned runs in two innings.
“In this district that we’re in…and the teams that we have to play, the Broken Arrow tournament, you’ve got to grow up quick,” said Brown.
“I’m seeing some good things and I’m hoping by the middle (of the season), some of the mistakes we’re making just because we’re so young and some of the mental things I think will work themselves out.”
The Sandites have played a brutally tough schedule so far, going 2-4 against four of last year’s State Tournament teams. Two of the other six remain on their schedule, including their next opponent - Broken Arrow (10-2).
“Those kind of teams are going to make us better,” said Brown. “We may not be getting the win record right now, but down the road it’s going to come into play and I think the kids are going to grow from it. It’s going to make them tougher and better and mentally stronger.”
The Sandites got off to a 7-1 start before a 10-0 loss to still-undefeated Owasso (15-0) sent them on a 1-4 run.
“We were playing really good solid ball for a couple of weeks and then last Friday it’s like we just hit a wall,” said Brown, who expects the errors and miscues to improve as the hundred-degree double-header days wane into the fall.
Even with the losses, many young Sandites have been having exceptional performances.
Harger went 5-for-8 at the plate in Thursday’s double-header with two runs, two doubles, and two RBIs.
“Lakelyn has had some really good nights,” said Brown. “She’s doing an awesome job at third and she got some pitching time tonight.”
Sand Springs will return to action Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. with a crucial district home game against Broken Arrow in a rematch of last year’s Regional Championship finals. The Tigers have won nine in a row against the Sandites dating back to 2016.
