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Stuart, Kiowa finish seasons at OSSAA Class A State Tournament

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

May 1—The Lady Hornets battled to the end.

Stuart faced off against Binger-Oney in the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association Class A State Slow-Pitch Tournament semifinals, where the Lady Hornets battled but fell 15-3.

The Lady Hornets started the game hot, with Kiara Russell using a ball put into play to give Jacie Crenshaw the opportunity to tag up and score. Reagan Wade later stole her way across home plate, and a Kaci Justice RBI single helped give Stuart the early 3-0 lead.

Binger-Oney answered in the bottom of the inning, plating two to cut into the lead. The Lady Bobcats returned to the bats in the bottom of the second, scoring two more runs to move out in front.

Both teams battled to the end, but an offensive rhythm for Binger-Oney in the third and fourth innings helped seal away the win.

Russell and Justice both led the Stuart offense with an RBI each.

Stuart finishes its season with a record of 29-14 and a OSSAA Class A State semifinal appearance.

QUARTERFINALS

STUART 24, HAMMON 22

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.

Davis led the way with five RBIs, followed by Russell and Treat with four each, Stanford and Justice with three each, Wade with two, and Steele with one.

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 15, Stuart 3

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)