Down but not out: Sandites fall 4-0 to Owasso, but could get rematch Thursday

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The Charles Page High School varsity baseball team got off to a great start at Regionals Wednesday when they handed the Broken Arrow Tigers a 6-3 defeat at Stigall Field in Owasso. The Rams would prove to be too much for the Sandites in round three, however, and the host team shut out their foe 4-0.

The Regional Tournament is double-elimination, so despite the loss the boys could still earn their ticket to State if they can win three more games. The Sandites will face the winner of the Broken Arrow vs Sapulpa game Thursday at 5:00 PM, and if they win that match they'll get to play Owasso again Thursday at 7:30. Because Owasso is undefeated, the Sandites will have to beat them twice to win the Regional. 

It may sound improbable, but the Lady Sandite Fast Pitch Softball team accomplished that feat last fall when they battled their way through the consolation bracket to win the Regional Tournament and ultimately lost the State Championship by a single run.

University of Oklahoma committed junior Jake Terry (5-4) pitched all six innings for the Sandites, giving up seven hits, six walks, and four earned runs against three strikeouts. Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College-signee Shane Lang got the win for the Rams, allowing just six hits and one walk against six strikeouts and zero runs in seven innings. 

The game was a slow starter with neither team getting on the board till the bottom of the third when Lang hit a sacrifice fly to score Connor Beichler. The score held at 1-0 till the bottom of the fifth when the Rams finally began to put in work at the plate. 

Beichler walked, stole second, advanced to third on a passed ball, and scored on a sacrifice by Tyler Brown. All-American Parker Dunn singled, Lang walked, and Nick Keim hit a sacrifice fly to score Dunn. Kyle Petty brought in pinch runner Sam Thompson on a single for the 4-0 lead.

It was down to the wire for the Sandites. Trevor Tolbert reached on an error and Joey Montgomery was hit by pitch in the top of the sixth, but both were stranded. Terry pitched a no-hitter in the bottom of the inning with one strikeout, and the Sandites had one shot left to tie or take the lead.

Hunter Greathouse grounded out to short. Jake Ward hit a line drive single into left field and was replaced on base by Kameron Adcock. Mack Thompson flied out in foul territory. Ty Fain picked up a single, but the two runners were left stranded as Tolbert grounded out to second to end the game.

Sandites will travel to Owasso for Regionals and battle Broken Arrow in Round One

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association released the 6A Regional baseball brackets Monday afternoon. The Charles Page High School team (21-14) will travel to Owasso Wednesday at 2:30 PM for their first round game against Broken Arrow (21-14). 

The Sandites and Tigers have neck-and-neck records, each winning 21 games and losing 14, and each having one win over the other. In the Sand Springs/Broken Arrow Wooden Bat Tournament the Tigers got the 6-4 win, but the Sandites retaliated with a 10-3 victory of their own less than a week later. 

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The tournament is double-elimination, and from there the Sandites will take on either Sapulpa (6-21) or Owasso (25-6). Sapulpa shouldn't pose much difficulty, as the Sandites have already defeated their Highway 97 rivals three times this season by a combined score of 26-7.

Owasso will be the biggest obstacle in the way of the Sandites' ticket to State. The Rams are the top team in the district and have already defeated Sand Springs twice, just last week. The games were far from blowouts, however, and the Sandites nearly overtook Owasso in the first game. losing by a close 11-10.

PITCHING

Conner Dennis (1-0) has an earned run average of 0.00, having faced 23 batters over 7 innings. He's given up 1 hit, 3 walks, 0 runs, and 0 earned runs while pitching 64% strikes for 4 strikeouts and a .643 WHIP.

Rhett Rutledge (2-1) has an earned run average of 2.07, having faced 125 batters over 27 innings. He's given up 25 hits, 21 walks, 13 runs, and 8 earned runs while pitching 56% strikes for 23 strikeouts and a .561 WHIP. He also has 2 saves and 0 blown saves.

Brock Youngblood (4-1) has an earned run average of 2.57, having faced 136 batters over 33 innings. He's given up 33 hits, 14 walks, 18 runs, and 12 earned runs while pitching 64% strikes for 13 strikeouts and a 1.317 WHIP.

Hunter Greathouse (2-0) has an earned run average of 3.73, having faced 66 batters over 15 innings. He's given up 8 hits, 12 walks, 10 runs, and 8 earned runs while pitching 61% strikes for 32 strikeouts and a 1.200 WHIP. He also has 1 save and 0 blown saves.

University of Oklahoma-commit Jake Terry has an earned run average of 3.77, having faced 211 batters over 42.66 innings. He's given up 45 hits, 42 walks, 29 runs, and 23 earned runs while pitching 58% strikes for 51 strikeouts and a 1.946 WHIP. 

Jake Ward (4-3) has an earned run average of 3.91, having faced 227 batters over 48 innings. He's given up 49 hits, 34 walks, 33 runs, and 27 earned runs while pitching 57% strikes for 49 strikeouts and a 1.635 WHIP.

Josh Cordell (2-3) has an earned run average of 3.95, having faced 164 batters over 34 innings. He's given up 40 hits, 41 walks, 31 runs, and 19 earned runs while pitching 42% strikes for 26 strikeouts and a 1.753 WHIP.

Joey Montgomery (1-2) has an earned run average of 6.64, having faced 96 batters over 19 innings. He's given up 23 hits, 12 walks, 22 runs, and 18 earned runs while pitching 55% strikes for 10 strikeouts and a 1.632 WHIP.

BATTING

Cody Motes holds a .500 batting average, .500 slugging average, and .500 OBP with 3 runs, 1 RBI, 1 single, and 3 stolen bases.

Hunter Greathouse has a .390 batting average, a .470 slugging average, and a .483 OBP. He's scored 23 runs and 15 RBI with 29 singles, 8 doubles, 2 triples, and 8 sacrifices. He's also stolen 11 bases this season.

Jake Ward has batted .381 this season with a .488 slugging average and .563 OBP. He's scored 20 runs and 16 RBI with 25 singles, 6 doubles, 1 home run, 4 sacrifices, and 4 stolen bases.

Josh Taber has batted .366 this season with a .387 slugging average and a .491 OBP. He's scored 30 runs and 19 RBI with 32 singles, 2 doubles, 6 sacrifices, and 23 stolen bases.

Joey Montgomery is batting .351 with a .443 slugging average and a .457 OBP. He's scored 3 runs and 21 RBI with 27 singles, 6 doubles, 1 home run, 1 sacrifice, and 2 stolen bases.

Tyler McCallie is sitting at .339 batting, and .542 slugging, with a .473 OBP. He's scored 20 runs and 11 RBI with 13 singles, 5 doubles, 2 home runs, 2 sacrifices, and 9 stolen bases.

Rhett Rutledge has batted .339 this season with a .523 slugging average and .471 OBP. He's scored 34 runs and 20 RBI with 24 singles, 8 doubles, 3 triples, 2 home runs, 7 sacrifices, and 20 stolen bases.

Riley Rutledge has batted .333 this season with a .333 slugging average and .600 OBP. He's scored 2 runs and 1 RBI with 1 single.

Treyce Tolbert holds a .314 batting average, .392 slugging average, and .462 OBP He's scored 25 runs and 21 RBI with 26 singles, 4 doubles, 1 triple, 1 home run, 5 sacrifices, and 10 stolen bases.

Ty Fain holds a .282 batting average, a .308 slugging average, and a .451 OBP. He's scored 10 runs and 8 RBI with 9 singles, 2 doubles, 2 stole bases, and 4 sacrifices.

Jake Terry has batted .276 this season with a .483 slugging average and .408 OBP. He's scored 9 runs and 10 RBI on 8 singles, 5 doubles, 1 triple, 2 home runs, 2 sacrifices, and 5 stolen bases.

Southwestern Christian University-signee Trevor Tolbert has batted .244 this season for a .308 slugging average and .366 OBP. He's scored 10 runs and 17 RBI on 15 singles, 3 doubles, 1 triple, 5 sacrifices, and 1 stolen base.

Mack Thompson holds a .237 batting average, .395 slugging average, and .396 OBP. He's scored 16 runs and 4 RBI with 5 singles, 3 doubles, 1 home run, and 5 stolen bases.

Brock Youngblood has a .200 batting average, a .200 slugging average, and a .200 OBP. He has scored 1 runs and 2 RBI on 1 single.

Malachi Walton has batted .167 with a .167 slugging average and a .375 OBP. He's scored 17 runs and 2 RBI with 1 single and 5 stolen bases.

Kameron Adcock has racked up a .167 batting average, a .167 slugging average, and a .286 on-base percentage. He's scored 3 runs, hit 1 single, and stolen 1 base this season.

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/

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

Sandite Soccer celebrates 19 on Senior Night

STAFF REPORTS

Charles Page High School celebrated its senior soccer players and trainers Friday night at Memorial Stadium. The girls lost their game 2-1 in overtime to Westmoore and the boys lost 2-1 in double overtime.

Taylor Coyle is the daughter of Kary and Mike Stephens and James Coyle. She's been a player for the Sandite soccer team for three years. Throughout high school, she's been a member of the National Honor Society (NHS), the Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) secretary, a counselor at Make Promises Happen special needs camp, and a Peer Tutor in Ms. Harper's Special Ed class. After graduation she plans to attend Tulsa Community College (TCC) where she will major in Mild/Moderate Special Education.

Jacob Dixon is the son of Mike and Tammy Dixon. He's been a player for the Sandite soccer team for four years. During his high school career he's been involved in NHS and Future Farmers of America (FFA). After graduation he plans on enlisting in the United States Navy. 

Kylee Cramer is the daughter of Jill and Barrett Cramer and has played for the Sandite soccer team for four years. Throughout high school she's been involved in NHS, the Fellowship of Christian Students, the Native American Student Association (NASA), Calvary Baptist Youth Group, and the Oklahoma Indian National Honor Society. She's played competitive soccer with the West Side Alliance (WSA) 97 Girls for two years and Blitz United 98 Girls for one year. After graduation she plans to attend Oklahoma Baptist University where she will major in Nursing.

Lazaro Franco is the son of Lazaro and Elisabeth Franco and has played for the Sandites for three years. After graduation he plans on attending TCC where he will major in Electronics and Electrical Engineering Technology. 

Marissa Doll is the daughter of Russell and Elfi Doll and has played for the Sandites for three years. She's been a four-year member of Student Council and a three-year member of NHS, where she served as Vice President her senior year. She's a member of Youth and Government, has played soccer since she was five and has played competitive soccer with WSA for seven years. After graduation she plans to attend the University of Oklahoma (OU) where she will major in biochemistry with the goal of becoming a dentist.

Hunter Jacob is the son of Dawna Maron and Randy Jacob. He has played for the Sandites for one year, has played with the Sand Springs Soccer Club for eight years, and the WSA for one year. After graduation, he plans to attend OU where he will major in Biomedical Engineering. 

Madison "Hoot" Dye is the daughter of Erik and Nina Dye. She's played for the Sandites for one year. Throughout high school she has participated in NHS, FCCLA, and made the TCC President's Honor Roll. She's played for WSA for twelve years and has been the captain of her competitive team for the last six years. After graduation she will be attending Northeastern State University on a soccer scholarship. 

Dylan Lambert is the son of Robert and Jennifer Lambert and has played for the Sandites for four years. During his high school career he has been involved in NHS, FFA, Boy Scouts, Venturing Crew, Soccer, and Spanish Club. He attained the rank of Eagle Scout in 2015 and is graduating with honors. He has played recreational soccer with the Sand Springs Soccer Club for eight years. After graduating he plans to attend Oklahoma State University where he will major in Architecture and minor in Paleontology, Archaeology, and Horticulture.

Brooklyn Nicole Davis Eardley is the daughter of Sunnie and Josh Eardley and the late Marques Davis. She has been a player for the Sandites for four years. During her high school career she has been involved in NHS, NASA, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Competition, as well as CPHS Volleyball. She has played competitive soccer with the WSA 98 Girls Red for twelve years. She is signed to play soccer for Oral Roberts University where she will major in Pre-Sports Medicine. Eardley is fourth on her team in scoring this season with 9 goals.

Twin brothers Austin and Andrew Morrison are the sons of Steve and Leslie Morrison and have both played for the Sandites for four years. Austin has played soccer for six years. Both plan on attending TCC where Austin will major in Aviation and Andrew will major in Nursing. Andrew is one of the leading scorers for the Sandites with four goals this season. 

Kayla Foster is the daughter of Mark and Melissa Foster and has played for the Sandites for four years. Throughout high school she has participated in NJHS, NHS, Spanish Club, and played volleyball her freshman and sophomore years. She has played competitive soccer with WSA 98 Girls Red for nine years. She is signed to play for Missouri University of Science and Technology and plans to major in Petroleum Engineering. Foster is third in the team for scoring this season with 10 goals over six games after sitting out more than half the season with a leg injury. She's scored two hat tricks in wins over East Central and Enid.

McKinzie Horton is the daughter of Kassi and Colin Horton and has played for the Sandites for four years. Throughout high school she has participated in WSA, Ultimate Youth, FCS, and FCCLA. She has played recreational and competitive soccer with WSA for eleven years. After graduating she plans to attend TCC and major in Sonography. 

Dalton Lane is the son of Shannon Dobson and Kevin Smith and has played for the Sandites for one year. He's been a four year member of NHS and has played recreation and competitive soccer with SSSC and WSA for nine years. After graduating he plans to attend the University of Tulsa where he will major in Petroleum Engineering. 

Courtney Langley is the daughter of Dana and Gene Langley and has been a trainer for the Sandites for three years. Throughout high school she has served as the President of Student Council, Secretary of NHS, and has participated in Youth and Government, Fellowship of Christian Students, Horizons, and Key Club. After graduating she plans on attending NSU to major in Biology and Business. 

William Pelfrey is the son of Benjawan Sanka and William and Duangpon Pelfrey. He's played for the Sandites for four years, and has played soccer for twelve years. After graduation he plans on enlisting in the US Army.

Bryn Lewis is the daughter of Jim and Sharon Lewis and has played for the Sandites for four years. She's played in the Gold Pride Marching Band for four years, including two years as Drum Major. She's participated in the Sandite Concert Band for seven years, FCS, President of Youth and Government, and President of NHS. She also plays for Sandite Volleyball and is a volleyball partner with the Sandite Special Olympics. She's played competitive soccer with WSA for thirteen years. After graduation she plans on attending the University of Tulsa where she will major in Engineering. 

Ashley Marino is the daughter of Juan and Maria Marino and has played for the Sandites for four years. During her high school career, she's also been involved in Masa Club and Sandite Track. After graduation she plans on majoring in Criminal Justice at NSU. 

Alexis Slabby is the daughter of Kristina Slabby and Shane Morgan and has played for the Sandites for the past two years. During her high school career she has also participated in FCCLA and Make Promises Happen. After graduating she plans on attending the University of Central Oklahoma to obtain a liberal arts degree, then enlisting in the Marine Corp. 

Full photo galleries from both games and Senior Night festivities can be viewed and purchased at https://sanditepride.smugmug.com/2016-Soccer/41516-Sand-Springs-vs/

Union Baseball trumps Sandites 6-3

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

For the second night in a row, the Charles Page High School baseball team (19-9) was bested by the Union Redskins (14-9), marking their fourth-straight loss. The Sandites sought to use their home field advantage to find payback against Union for a 5-3 loss Monday night in Tulsa, but after giving up the lead in the third inning, they were unable to find another run for the duration of the game.

Jake Ward (4-2) got the loss on the mound, giving up six hits and four walks against three strikeouts. Daniel Smith got the win for the Redskins, striking out five and allowing only three hits.

The first inning saw more runs than the rest of the game combined, with Union drawing first blood on a single by Ryan Farrell that scored Braden Merrill and Hector Carillo. Sand Springs came out on top, however, as Joey Montgomery singled to score Josh Taber and Rhett Rutledge. Hunter Greathouse sacrificed to score Ty Fain for the 3-2 lead.

The second inning was a no-hitter and Union took the lead in the top of the third. Farrell sacrificed to score Merrill and Zack Doak sacrificed to score Carillo for the lead. Sand Springs failed to get on base in the third.

Union failed to get on base in the fourth while Sand Springs stranded one. The fifth was another no-hitter for the Redskins, who walked two but were able to end the inning on a fielder's choice that put out Taber at third. 

The visitors cushioned their lead in the top of the sixth as Daniel Scheid sacrificed to score Justin Comeau. Treyce Tolbert landed a single for the Sandites, but was stranded as Union came in to bat. Merrill iced the cake on his impressive evening with a home run to make it 6-3. 

Sand Springs tried to rally with singles from Jake Terry and Rutledge, but Taber and Terry were outed in a double play and Ward flied out to strand Rutledge and bring the evening to a close.

Sand Springs will return to action Friday night at Broken Arrow (20-9) who they just gave up a 6-4 loss to in the championship round at the Sand Springs/Broken Arrow Wooden Bat Tournament.