Rhett Rutledge leads Sandites to 6-3 playoff win over Broken Arrow

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The Charles Page High School baseball team (22-14) got off to a great start in the Regional Tournament at Owasso's Stigall Field Thursday afternoon, taking a quick lead over the Broken Arrow Tigers (21-15) that propelled them to a 6-3 victory.

Rhett Rutledge (3-1) got the start and win on the mound while Colton Croft came out with the loss.

The first two innings were scoreless for both teams, but Joey Montgomery broke the game open with a single scoring Rutledge. Hunter Greathouse doubled to bring in Josh Taber and Mack Thompson hit a sacrifice fly to score Malachi Walton.

Broken Arrow nearly got in a bind in the top of the fourth as the Sandites loaded the bases with their top batter at the plate, but Croft pulled off the impressive strikeout to save the inning. The bottom of the fourth belonged to the Tigers as well, as Devon Johnson scored on a double by Mack Chambers to get the team on the board.

A series of mistakes handed the Sandites another run in the top of the sixth. Rutledge hit a hard double to the centerfield fence, advanced to third on a balk, and scored on an error in left field for the 4-1 advantage.

The Tigers threatened in the bottom of the sixth as Johnson singled, Tucker Dunlap drew a walk, and Chambers reached on an error to load the bases with a single out. Drew Lowe hit a sacrifice fly to score Johnson. Kade Goines walked to reload the bases and Evan Fulps drew the full count walk to score pinch runner Declan Spurlock. Landon Hulet was next to the plate and hit a grounder to short stop for the force at second to end the inning with Sandites riding a close 4-3 lead.

Treyce Tolbert reached base on balls to start the seventh, Greathouse hit a single, and Jake Ward was hit by pitch to load the bases. Keaton Stamp went to the mound for the Tigers, but was unable to prevent runs as Mack Thompson sacrificed to bring in Tolbert and Ty Fain sacrificed to score Greathouse for a 6-3 advantage.

It came down to the bottom of the seventh for the Tigers. Brady Bean flied out to center field and Croft grounded out to short stop. Johnson got on base with a bunt to third but Dunlap hit a pop fly to end the game.

The Sandites will get only a brief rest before taking on the Owasso Rams (27-6) in round three. The Rams defeated Sapulpa in the first round of the Regional, and have two wins over the Sandites this season. Just last week the Sandites threatened to upset the top-seeded team in a close 11-10 home field loss, but were handily defeated 11-2 the following day in Owasso. If the Sandites defeat Owasso in this game, they'll have a rematch Thursday at 7:30 PM. If they lose to Owasso, they'll play either Sapulpa or Broken Arrow Thursday at 5:00 PM.

 

Bentonville blows out Sand Springs from the mound

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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. 

Lady Sandite Soccer wins sixth straight for Edison Tournament Championship

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Story and photo by: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The Charles Page High School girls soccer team (8-1) isn't showing any signs of slowing down. The ladies have outscored their opponents by a combined 33-4 so far this season, including six shutouts. The Edison Eagles (3-5) fell 2-0 in the championship round of their Green and White Tournament Saturday night. Previously the Sandites defeated Tulsa Memorial (4-4) by 4-0 and Booker T Washington (6-2) by a close 3-2. The Sandites are the only team to defeat the Lady Hornets this season, also defeating them 2-0 earlier this week. 

The Lady Sandites wasted no time in firing off shots as Kyndal Zicker sent one a tad wide less than a minute in. Edison's Alex Hopkins retaliated with a pair of shots in the 14th minute; one snuck a tad wide, and the other was saved by Sandite keeper Abigail Banks.

Zicker drew first blood in the 19th minute, bouncing a shot off of Evann Couch, then set up Kylie Taylor for the two-goal lead just two minutes later.

Brooklyn Eardley made a great low and hard shot in the 22nd minute but Raegan Richins was equally impressive with a diving save. The two teams spend the next several minutes midfield before the Sandites made another offensive push that culminated in Emma Peak sending one wide.

The Eagles returned the ball to Sand Springs's territory a few minutes later and Jade Belauste sent a slow roller towards Banks that she easily scooped up. Zicker set up Breanna Campbell for a header with 8 minutes to go but Richins was ready with the save. 

The second half was a lot slower and had far fewer close calls. Banks saved a close one 19 minutes in, but most of the game was spent midfield. Lauren Tavaglione sent a hard shot into Richins with fourteen minutes left and DeShazo sent one just a hair high with eleven left.

Banks made yet another impressive save with two minutes to play, diving for a penalty kick by Couch, and it would be the last real shot of the game as the girls prevailed 2-0.

The Lady Sandites will return to action Tuesday night at Union who is still undefeated 7-0. 

Bixby comes from behind for 8-3 victory over Sandite Baseball

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Story and photo by: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief 

The Charles Page High School varsity baseball team (13-4) met with the Bixby Spartans (13-3) for the fourth time in a week and this time their rival got the win, splitting the series 2-2. During the Bixby Tournament pool play the Spartans won 4-1, but the Sandites spoiled things for the hosts with a 10-6 championship victory the next evening. Monday night the Spartans traveled to Sand Springs for a district game that the home team won 8-7, but when the Sandites traveled to Bixby Tuesday the Spartans exploded in the sixth inning for a come-from-behind 8-3 victory.

Junior University of Oklahoma-commit Jake Terry (4-1) got his first loss on the mound of the season, giving up seven hits, eight walks, and six earned runs with two unearned runs and eight strikeouts. Fellow junior University of Oklahoma-commit Cade Cavalli got the win for the Spartans. As their record indicates, both teams are very close in talent with the Spartans leading the series scoring 25 runs to 22.

Both teams landed a single hit in the first inning and both runners were put out in double plays. Sand Springs did the same in the top of the second, but Bixby got in a run as Cavalli walked and came in on a Matthew Henderson single to strike first blood.

The Sandites weren’t content to play from behind, however, and scored two in the top of the third. Tyler McCallie and Mack Thompson were walked and McCallie scored on a fielding error off a Treyce Tolbert single. Sandite of the Week Rhett Rutledge sacrificed a grounder to short to score Thompson for the 2-1 lead.

Bixby stranded two walks in the bottom of the third but got another go at bat after Cavalli struck out the side in order to top the fourth. This time they landed a single by Jeremy Goodwin and Cole Parker was hit by pitch. Pinch runner Levi Harper scored on an error by Joey Montgomery to tie things up, but Terry struck out the next two batters to end the inning.

McCallie led off with a double to left field for the top of the fifth and scored on a Thompson bunt and error by Goodwin at third. Bixby stranded two in the fifth, pitched a no hitter in the top of the sixth, and finally reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the sixth.

Goodwin singled to right field and was replaced by courtesy runner Kyler Herron. Parker reached on error but was caught stealing second. Braden Hackler reached on a fielder’s choice that failed to put out Herron and instead scored him. Gavin Staton singled to score Hackler, Breydon Daniel walked, then Staton scored on a Tanner Griffin single. Cavalli hit another double to score Daniel and the Sandites sent Josh Cordell (0-1) to the mound. Nic Swanson singled to score Griffin and Cavalli but the next two batters were put out. By the time the frenzy was over the Sandites were in an 8-3 hole.

Griffin went to the mound for the Spartans and pitched a no-hitter to secure the win in the top of the seventh.

The Sandites will return to action Friday at 4:00pm in a home game against Highway 97 rival Sapulpa (1-9), whom they already defeated 7-2 in the second game of the season.

 

Sandite soccer splits with Booker T: girls win 2-0, boys fall 4-1

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Story and photo by: Virgil Noah, Marketing Director

It has been a troubling year so far for the Charles Page High School Varsity Boys soccer team, who came into Tuesday night's game with a record of just 1-4. The Booker T. Washington Varsity Boys came into the first game of district play with a much better record of 3-0 and looked very formidable coming in. 

The Hornets got off to a hot start with Senior captains Zach Canady and Joseph Cuellar each scoring a goal to put their squad up 2-0. The visiting team's defense stifled the Sandite offense for nearly the entirety of the first half, until Senior forward Cody Gurley corralled a loose ball and fired a shot that squeaked by Hornet keeper Zac Haney. The Sandite goal came in the 39th minute and cut the lead in half going into the break. 

The second half would see a more aggressive Sandite offense, as they made far more trips into the box. Sand Springs nearly evened the game in the 50th minute when a left footed strike hit the right post and shot out of bounds. That would be as close as they would get though as Max Pettett, a sophomore midfielder, netted a header in the 63rd minute and Cuellar scored his second goal of the match on a penalty in the 66th to seal things for Booker T. 

The loss puts the Sandites at 1-5 (0-1) on the year and the Hornets continue their undefeated start at 4-0 (1-0). Charles Page will play next April 1-2 at the Edison Tournament. 

The Charles Page and Booker T Washington girls soccer teams both entered the district opener with records well over .500 for the year. The Lady Hornets carried an undefeated record of 4-0 with them into Memorial Stadium to face the Lady Sandites who boasted a record of 4-1 on the season. The lone Sand Springs loss came at the hands of Metro Christian Academy by a score of 1-0, but Bobby Behrens's girls have gotten back on track beating Enid 5-0 and Bixby 2-1. 

Sand Springs took a major hit offensively coming in, as Senior captain and leading goal scorer Kayla Foster was unable to play due to injury. Foster has scored 7 goals in the first 5 games, including a pair of hat tricks. 

The Lady Hornets made a strong run at goal in the opening minute as Freshman forward Lauren Cousins played a ball in to fellow freshman midfielder McKenna Raley who took a shot that went just wide to the right of the goal. That would prove to be the only shot of the half for Booker T. as the two teams would simply trade possession for the remainder of the half. The Lady Sandites managed one shot midway through the opening 40 minutes, and it came on a Brooklyn Eardley free kick that sailed well over the top of the goal. 

Both teams seemed to really pick up the pace in the second half as they traded shots for the first 20 minutes with Sandite keeper Abigail Banks making a key stop on a shot by Cousins. Sand Springs finally found pay dirt in the 64th minute when Eardley collected a loose ball on the left sideline, cut past her defender towards goal, took a couple of touches and stroked a shot inside post past the keeper. Kyndal Zicker got in on the fun as the junior contributed with her 5th goal of the season coming in the 76th minute.  The Lady Hornets refused to give up though, as Cousins and the offense continued to press forward and get off shots, but Banks and the Sandite back line stood strong and completed the shutout. It was Banks's fourth clean sheet of the year and the girls's third straight victory. 

The victory moves the Sandite girls to 5-1 (1-0) and the Lady Hornets fall to 4-1 (0-1). Sand Springs will play this weekend, April 1-2 at the Edison tournament.

Sandites come from behind for 8-7 victory over Spartans, McCallie and Mongtomery hit homers

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The Sandites (15-3) and Spartans (12-3) went head to head for the third time in under a week in a district match up at Sand Springs Tuesday night. The Charles Page High School baseball team trailed for most of the game, frequently tying it up, but didn't take the lead till the final pitch of the game. 

In the Bixby Tournament Friday night the Spartans defeated the Sandites 4-1 but Sand Springs retaliated with a 10-6 victory for the tournament championship Saturday night to end the Spartans' ten-game win streak. 

In Monday night's home game the Sandites gave up a 2-0 lead to the Spartans in the first and had to fight from bottom for the duration of the game. Jake Ward got the start on the mound and hit the first two batters with the pitch to walk them. Tanner Griffin sacrificed to bring home Gavin Staton and Cade Cavalli sacrificed to score Breydon Daniel before the Sandites fielded a third out.

The Sandites returned the favor in the bottom of the inning as Sandite of the Week Rhett Rutledge reached on a fielder's choice and Hunter Greathouse singled to bring him home. Then, Greathouse came home on a passed ball to even the score.

The second inning was a no-hitter for both teams, but Bixby reclaimed their lead in the third as Staton doubled on an error and came home on a Daniel single. Once more the Sandites weren't content to leave an inning in the hole and Rutledge doubled before coming in on a wild pitch. 

In the top of the fourth AJ Parker and Braden Hackler both singled and Staton walked to load the bases. Daniel struck out but Griffin singled to score Parker for the 4-3 lead. Ward struck out Cavalli and Nic Swanson as well. 

Tyler McCallie hit his first home-run of the season in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game back up but once more the Spartans reclaimed the lead as Jeremy Goodwin stole home in the next inning. This time the Sandites would fail to land a hit and remained in the hole going into the sixth.

Daniel lined out to Rutledge at short to start the sixth and Griffin grounded out to Rutledge. Then, Cade Cavalli went to bat and drew a walk. He survived three pickoff attempts before coming in on a double by Swanson, who in turn came in on a single by Matthew Henderson for a 7-4 lead.

The Sandites had their most impressive inning yet in the bottom of the sixth and Trevor Tolbert singled and came in on a Joey Montgomery home run. Mack Thompson singled and took second on a passed ball. Rutledge and Ward were both hit by pitch to load the bases. Thompson came home on a balk with Greathouse at bat to tie things up 7-7 but Greathouse flied out to right field to strand the runners. 

Brock Youngblood relieved Ward on the mound and pitched a no-hitter and it came down to the bottom of the seventh. Taber was walked, Trevor Tolbert flied out, Montgomery singled, McCallie grounded out, and Thompson walked to load the bases with two outs. Treyce Tolbert came to bat and was walked to score Taber for the win.

The Sandites return to action tomorrow evening, once more at Bixby.