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Stuart advances to semis, Kiowa finishes season at OSSAA Class A State Tournament

derek hatridge, mcalester news-capital, okla.
·3 min read

May 1—The Lady Hornets refused to back down.

Stuart battled against Hammon Wednesday in Oklahoma City at the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association Class A State Slow-Pitch Tournament, where the Lady Hornets held off the Lady Warriors 24-22 to advance to the semifinal round.

The Lady Hornets drew first blood, with Kiara Russell scorching a ball over the center field fence for a three-run homer and the lead. The Lady Warriors answered with a three-run shot of their own, and later added three more to take a 6-3 lead after the first inning.

Hammon earned another run in the bottom of the second, but Stuart struck right back in the next frame. Paris Stanford drilled a two-run homer to start the scoring, and Kaci Justice followed with a two-run double to tie up the game.

Miley Davis later followed with a dinger to left to score three, putting Stuart back out front 10-7. Reagan Wade then led off the top of the fourth inning with a solo shot over the center field fence, extending the lead for the Lady Hornets.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, Hammon hit an offensive rhythm at the plate — running out to take a five-run lead.

But the Lady Hornets stayed resolute, and had a response in the next frame. Keelie Treat sent a high-flying ball to left for an RBI, and Stanford followed with a ball in play to score another run. Justice then drilled a liner to right, evening up the score.

Jadee Hall sent a single into right that resulted in a run, and Davis returned to the plate — sending her second home run ball of the day over the left field fence to give Stuart the 20-16 lead.

The Lady Warriors answered in the bottom of the fifth, tying up the game once more.

Wade slammed a ball over the right field fence, putting Stuart back out front once more. Joey Steele followed with a sacrifice fly, with the Lady Hornets leading 22-20 heading into the bottom of the sixth.

There, the Lady Warriors made a run back, trimming the lead down to one leading into the final inning of play.

In the bottom of the seventh, Treat had her turn sending herself and her teammates around the bags — mashing a tater over the center field fence to extend the Stuart lead back out to three.

Hammon earned a home run to lead off the bottom of the seventh, but that'd be it as the Stuart defense held on to seal the win.

Next up, Stuart will face Binger-Oney in the semifinal round.

TURNER 13, KIOWA 1

The Cowgirls fought to the finish.

Kiowa faced off against Turner Wednesday in Oklahoma City at the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association Class A State Slow-Pitch Tournament, where the Cowgirls fought but fell 13-1.

The Lady Falcons struck first, scoring three runs in the bottom of the first inning to take a 3-0 lead. Defense took over in the second inning, but Turner found its offense again in the bottom of the third to lead 6-0.

Paige Igou broke the ice for the Cowgirls to lead off the bottom of the fourth inning, blasting a ball over the left field fencer for a solo home run.

But the Lady Falcons responded in the bottom of the inning, sealing away the win.

The Cowgirls finish their season with a record of 24-16 and an appearance in the OSSAA Class A State quarterfinals.

Here is the complete Class A State Slow-Pitch Tournament bracket, with times and which field the game will be played:

G1: Binger-Oney 16, Moss 5

G2: Stuart 24, Hammon 22

G3: Turner 13, Kiowa 1

G4: Red Oak 15, Navajo 1

G5: Binger-Oney vs. Stuart, 4 p.m. Integris

G6: Turner vs. Red Oak, 4 p.m. Field 3

G7: Winner G5 vs. Winner G6, 7 p.m. OG&E Stadium (Winner named State Champion)