Owasso soundly defeats Sand Springs for district title

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The Charles Page High School baseball team (20-14, 6-7) was out of the conversation for the district championship, but still had the opportunity to spoil it for top-seeded Owasso (24-5, 11-1) if they could win Wednesday afternoon. Of course, that would give Bixby the chance to win it, and the Spartan-Sandite Rivalry is quickly catching up with the Highway 97 Rivalry in terms of intensity. 

While Sand Springs has been on a bit of a slump as of late, they managed to put up one of their most impressive performances of the season earlier this week in a home game against the Rams, hitting three home runs in an 11-10 loss that came down to the wire. The Sandites hoped to build on that performance Wednesday and took a 2-0 lead early on, but the home team rallied with nine runs in the bottom of the third that proved to be more than enough for the win.

Sand Springs went through three pitchers, each throwing two innings, with the loss going to Jake Ward (4-3) who got the start. Ward gave up five hits, seven walks, and seven earned runs in his time on the mound. Kyle Petty got the win for Owasso, pitching six hits against seven strikeouts in six innings.

Sand Springs started out solidly as Josh Taber singled and survived four pickoff attempts before stealing second, and advancing to third on an error by Jake Enzbrenner. Treyce Tolbert hit a line drive double into right field to bring Taber home, but was left stranded as Petty got his second strikeout of the inning. 

Ward gave up a single and two walks in the bottom of the first, but managed to strand loaded bases as Hunter Greathouse forced out a runner at third. Petty added two more strikeouts in the top of the second, but gave up a double to Tyler McCallie that scored Mack Thompson, who also doubled.

Finally the Rams got on the board with five hits and five walks in the bottom of the third for the go-ahead. Brock Youngblood (4-1) relieved Ward as the boys trailed 5-2, but was unable to stem the Owasso tide. In his two innings on the mound he gave up only three hits, one walk, and two earned runs.

Josh Cordell (2-3) got his turn at pitching in the bottom of the fifth and gave up three walks and a double to expand the deficit to 11-2. Jake Terry managed a double in the top of the sixth but was left stranded. Cordell walked two and struck out one in the bottom of the sixth, but the Sandites were held scoreless in the top of the seventh and the Rams held on for the win. 

The Sandites will return to action Friday at 5:00 for Senior Night. Photo galleries from this season can be found at https://sanditepride.smugmug.com/

Sandites go down 11-10 to Owasso despite 7th inning homers from Thompson and Rutledge

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The top-seeded Owasso Rams (23-5, 10-1) traveled to Sand Springs (20-13, 6-6) Monday night for what will likely be one of the most memorable games of the season. The seven inning game lasted for three and a half hours as the two teams each reached double digits in hitting and went through a total of five pitchers. Three Sandites hit home runs, including two in the final stretch that nearly propelled the Sandites past their opponent. Sand Springs never once led, but it was easily one of the most hotly contested games of the year. 

Owasso's Lance Christenberry got the start and the win on the mound, giving up two earned runs and four hits over two innings. Shane Lang got the win, pitching over four innings and allowing three earned runs and six hits against four strikeouts. University of Oklahoma-commit Jake Terry (5-4) got the start and loss for the Sandites and allowed six walks, seven hits, and seven earned runs against six strikeouts over four innings. Rhett Rutledge (1-1) pitched relief and gave up three walks, three hits, and three earned runs over three innings.

Owasso started off the scoring early as Athanie Leeviraphan doubled and came in on a hit by Parker Dunn in the top of the first. The home team retaliated quickly, however, as Joey Montgomery walked and reached home on an error.  

The Rams had an explosive second inning with four base hits and a walk for a 5-1 lead. Nick Keim singled, Jake Enzbrenner walked, and Caleb Denny brought in Keim on a single. Connor Beichler hit a two run double to score Denny and Jordan Lytle, and Tyler Brown singled in Beichler. 

Terry was first to the plate in the bottom of the second and hit his second home run of the season. Josh Taber singled in Rutledge to narrow it to 5-3 and despite a pair of walks in the top of the third, the Sandites managed to hold Owasso to their first runless inning. 

Brayden Lloyd replaced Christenberry on the mound in the bottom of the third and gave up a single to Montgomery and walked Hunter Greathouse. Tyler McCallie ran courtesy for Montgomery and advanced to third on a fielder's choice before scoring on an error to cut the gap to 5-4.  

The Rams more than made up for their prior gaffs in the top of the fourth, however, as Leeviraphan and Beichler drew walks. Dunn scored Leeviraphan on a double into the top of the right field fence and Lang reached on a dropped third strike that allowed Beichler to score. Enzbrenner hit a sacrifice to score Dunn for the 8-4 advantage before Dodger Turner foul tipped out to bring in the Sandites. 

The fourth continued to be the wildest inning of the game as Mack Thompson, Taber, and Jake Ward singled to load the bases. The Umpire took a pitch to the head with Ward at bat and went down for a solid five minutes before getting back on his feet and valiantly continuing the game. Taber started for third on Ward's hit and doubled back and was nearly picked off but was saved by an error that allowed Thompson to come home. Montgomery struck out, but Treyce Tolbert tripled to score Taber and Ward and cut the score down to 8-7. 

Rutledge went to the mound in the top of the fifth. Leeviraphan and Sam Thompson grounded out to start but Brown and Beichler both drew walks and came in on a three run homer by Dunn to make it 11-7. 

The bottom of the fifth was a no hitter and while the Rams came close to scoring in the sixth, Enzbrenner was put out at home to bring the Sandites in. Rutledge drew a walk and Ward was hit by pitch, but neither scored in the first runless inning of the game. 

The Sandites set themselves up well for a rally as they stranded two Owasso base-runners in the top of the seventh and didn't allow any more runs. Greathouse reached on an error to start the offense off, but was put out at second on a fielder's choice. Mack Thompson hit his first home run of the year to score McCallie, and Rutledge followed it up his second homer of the year to cut the gap to a single run. Unfortunately Taber went down swinging and the Rams walked away with the win. 

The Sandites will get a rematch Tuesday at 4:30 in Owasso, assuming the weather stays away till then. The season is rapidly coming to a close with only three games left till Regionals. The boys have a district makeup game Thursday against Bartlesville (10-19) and the season finale will by Friday against Tulsa Memorial (9-16).

The photo gallery from this event can be found at https://sanditepride.smugmug.com/2016-Baseball/42516-Sand-Springs-vs-Owasso/

Great pitching from Rhett Rutledge not enough to hold off Fayetteville

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The Charles Page High School varsity baseball team (20-12) has been on a bit of a downward slope these last few weeks. After going 13-4 in the first month of the season, the boys seem to have lost some steam as they moved into April. After beating Muskogee by a combined 43-1 over three games, it appeared that the Sandites were on top of the world. Since then, they've gone 2-7, and were most recently dropped 4-2 by Bentonville (14-7) and 8-1 by Fayetteville (16-9). 

Fayetteville jumped on their Oklahoma adversaries early on in their weekend game, running up a 3-0 lead in the first inning. Josh Cordell (2-3) got the start and the loss on the mound. Thomas Broyles hit a home run to score Garrett Owens and Robbie Briggs scored on an error at short stop. 

The top of the second was a no-hitter for the Sandites, and the Purple Bulldogs loaded the bases with two singles and two walks to score DeShawn McCoard. Cody Smith scored on a passed ball and Broyles walked to load the bases once more. Cordell was relieved by Rhett Rutledge (1-1). 

Rutledge immediately went to work on improving the situation, striking out Braden Jordan, but Briggs hit a sacrifice fly to score Joey Savin. Hayes Cox singled to score Owens for the 7-0 advantage before Rutledge struck out McCoard to bring the melee to an end. 

The game evened out from there, but the Sand Springs boys were battling from a deep hole, and despite improving on their fielding and pitching, they still couldn't get many hits off the impressive Bulldog pitchers. 

Fayetteville put four on the mound over the course of the game. Savin, Cox, and Chase Arnold pitched an inning each, while Joey Davenport got the start and win, allowing just two hits over four innings. 

Trevor Tolbert landed a single in the top of the third, but was left stranded. The next inning and a half were no-hitters for both teams as Rutledge picked up a trio of strikeouts and Davenport got one as well. 

The Sandites finally found their way onto the scoreboard in the top of the fifth as Savin came out of the bullpen and gave up a single to Hunter Greathouse, a double to Jake Terry, and a sacrifice fly to Ty Fain that brought in Greathouse to make it 7-1. 

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The Dogs retaliated in the bottom of the inning, however, as Cox tripled and came in on a single by McCoard for the final score of 8-1. Greathouse also saw pitching action in the sixth inning and picked up three strikeouts against one hit.

The boys are currently sitting fourth in their district with a 6-5 record and only three games left in the regular season. Top-seeded Owasso (21-5, 9-1) will travel to Sand Springs Monday evening at 7:00, then Sand Springs will visit the Rams' diamond on Tuesday for the district finale. 

Photo galleries from the 2016 Sandite Baseball season can be found at https://sanditepride.smugmug.com/2016-Baseball

Bentonville blows out Sand Springs from the mound

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The Charles Page High School varsity baseball team (20-11) was absolutely hammered at the plate Friday evening in Fayetteville as the Bentonville Tigers (14-7) dealt the Sandites their worst batting performance of the season. 

Carter Brown got the win on the mound, pitching nine strikeouts and only giving up two hits while holding the Sandites to a .080 team batting average. Brock Youngblood (4-1) took his first loss this season, giving up ten hits and two walks, but only allowing two earned runs.

Bentonville set the tone for the game from the very first inning, striking out two and coming in quickly to bat where Tyler Johnson doubled to score Nathan Lyons. The second inning saw Joey Montgomery reach on an error for the Sandites, but once more it was the Tigers who scored the lone run of the inning as Matt Bratspies singled in Justin Hines. 

The third inning was a no hitter for both teams, and Sand Springs tried to turn things around in the top of the fourth. Rhett Rutledge reached on an error and Josh Taber singled to start the inning. Rutledge was put out at third on a fielder's choice, but Taber scored on an error to get the boys on the board.

Bentonville took the definitive lead in the bottom of the fifth, however, as Kam'Ron Mays Hunt singled and Bratspies doubled. Lyons reached on an error by Rutledge at short stop that allowed Bratspies to score, and eventually made his way home on a throw for the 4-1 advantage. 

Mack Thompson drew a walk in the top of the sixth but the next three batters were struck out. Poole drew a walk in the bottom of the inning and Kyle Knight hit a single, but neither scored. 

It came down to the top of the seventh for the Sandites, and they put forth their biggest inning of the game. Hunter Greathouse reached on a fielder's choice, Tyler McCallie was hit by pitch, and Trevor Tolbert singled to bring in Greathouse. Unfortunately, Thompson hit a grounder to third and McCallie was forced out to bring the game to a close. 

Jake Ward's gem undone in 7th inning rally by Bartlesville

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The Charles Page High School varsity baseball team (20-10) traveled to Bartlesville (9-18) Thursday evening and gave up a 5-4 loss despite leading till the seventh inning and dominating the entirety of the game. 

Jake Ward (4-2) was a machine on the mound, pitching six innings and giving up only three hits, three walks, and one run, while throwing 52% strikes for eight strikeouts. Trevor Doyle got the win on the mound for Bartlesville, giving up only two hits and no runs, while Jake Terry (5-3) got the loss for the Sandites after relieving Ward in the seventh inning and giving up four hits, two walks, and four runs in a third of an inning.

Zach Snow started the game for the Bruins, striking out Rhett Rutledge, but giving up a double to Ward, walking Joey Montgomery, and a single to Treyce Tolbert. Courtesy runner Mack Thompson advanced to home on a throw to draw first blood.

Ward struck out two in his first inning on the mound, but walked AJ Archambo and allowed him to score on a double by Zac Boyes to tie it up. The second inning was a no-hitter for both teams and Ward struck out the side in order.

Rutledge singled in the top of the third but was put out on a fielders choice and Thompson was caught stealing. Garrett Meidl reached on an error at short stop and stole second before being stranded as Archambo struck out swinging.

Hunter Greathouse singled in the fourth but was left stranded. Boyes struck out in the bottom of the fourth as Ward pitched yet another no-hitter inning.

Sand Springs finally took the lead back in the top of the fifth as Terry singled and came in on a Rutledge double. Rutledge scored on an error and Josh Taber scored on a single by Montgomery for a 4-1 advantage.

Ward walked two in the bottom of the fifth and gave up a single to load the bases, but saved the inning with another Archambo strike out. Both teams put a single runner each on base in the sixth and Trevor Tolbert was stranded after singling in the top of the seventh. 

With the game seemingly all wrapped up, Terry went to the mound and started off well with a strikeout of Derek Hill. Then, Bartlesville went to work. 

Logan McNeill singled in Hunter Stoops, and Boyes singled in Meidl and Brady Sewell to tie it up. With two on base, and only one out on the board, things became dire for the Sandites. Doyle stepped to the plate and took one strike, then fired off a line drive single into left field to score Archambo for the win. 

This is the second time this season the Sandites have been upset in the seventh inning by Bruins. 

Sand Springs returns to action Friday in Fayetteville as they take on Bentonville (13-7) at 4:30 and Fayetteville (14-9) at 7:00. The Bruins will travel to Tulsa Friday at 4:30 to battle the Booker T Washington Hornets (3-25).

2016 Baseball Photo Galleries can be found at https://sanditepride.smugmug.com/2016-Baseball

Youngblood undefeated on the mound; Rutledge scores big hits in 10-3 domination of Broken Arrow

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The Charles Page High School varsity baseball team (20-9) got vengeance on Broken Arrow (20-10) for a championship round defeat at the Wooden Bat Tournament last week, dominating the Tigers 10-3 on their own turf Friday night.

Brock Youngblood (4-0) got the win on the mound with seven hits, two strike outs, and one walk before being relieved by Jake Terry in the seventh inning. Terry pitched two strikeouts and no hits or walks. The Tigers went through six different pitchers over the course of the game. The loss went to Landon Hulet who gave up one hit, one run, and one walk over two innings. 

The home team drew first blood as CJ Ivy scored on a single by Tucker Dunlap in the bottom of the first. The Sandites quickly responded with a sacrifice by Tyler McCallie that scored Treyce Tolbert in the top of the second.

Sand Springs scored the go-ahead run in the top of the third as Rhett Rutledge doubled and came in on a single by Jake Ward. In the fourth inning Hunter Greathouse doubled and scored on a hit by Ty Fain. Rutledge doubled once again in the fifth and scored on a double by Josh Taber, then Joey Montgomery singled in Taber to make it 5-1. 

In the top of the sixth Rutledge scored once again, singling in Fain, then coming home on a single by Ward. Broken Arrow finally found home plate again in the bottom of the sixth as Dunlap singled in Mack Chambers and Devon Johnson sacrificed to score Colton Croft. 

The top of the seventh saw Greathouse triple to score Tolbert. Mack Thompson singled in Greathouse, then Rutledge doubled in Thompson for the 10-3 advantage. Terry went to the mound in the bottom of the inning and pitched a no-hitter to secure the victory.

Sand Springs will take a week off before returning to the mound on the 25th against Owasso (18-5).