KHS softball playoff chances take a hit

Playoff chances for the Kingfisher High School softball team took a big hit last week.

The Lady Jackets dropped three District 4A-1 contests, including a double-header sweep Tuesday at Blackwell. That was preceded by Monday’s loss at McLoud, which knocked off KHS to start the season.

With the defeats, KHS dropped from fourth place the previous week into sixth place at the end of last week.

The Lady Jackets were 2-7 in the district and 10-11 overall.

In all three instances last week, one bad inning proved to be Kingfisher’s downfall.

At McLoud, Mya Dewberry delivered an RBI triple and scored on Kaycee Karcher’s groundout to give KHS a 2-1 lead after the top of the fifth.

But McLoud answered with six runs in the bottom half of the frame as part of its 8-4 win.

Three errors, three hits and a walk contributed to the onslaught of runs.

KHS answered back in the sixth with two more runs.

Macy McCully’s RBI single was followed by Emma Lukasek’s ground-out two batters later, which pushed a run home.

However, the final six KHS batters were retired in order to end the game.

Only three of the eight runs given up by Olivia Wilcox were earned.

She struck out three and walked three.

Karcher had two of Kingfisher’s seven hits.

That was followed by the long road trip to Blackwell the next day.

After Kingfisher tied up the Lady Maroons with two runs in the top of the third, the Lady Jackets gave up five runs in the bottom half, again losing 8-4.

KHS committed three errors in the game, but none in the decisive frame.

The Lady Jackets attempted a late charge. Five different batters reached base in the sixth, but it never resulted in a run.

Lukasek delivered a pinch-hit, two run single in the seventh with two outs, but Kingfisher’s rally ended there.

McCully led Kingfisher’s offense with three hits and an RBI.

Farrell and Dewberry had two hits apiece.

The teams squared off again in the nightcap, one that saw Blackwell come from behind to win 10-9 in eight innings.

Kingfisher led 9-3 before the Lady Maroons tied it with a six-run top of the seventh.

Blackwell scored four of those runs with two outs, including a three-run home run to tie it.

The Lady Maroons got a run home in the eighth to go ahead then made the lead stick.

Kingfisher had a productive game at the plate with 16 hits.

Natalie Dick, McCully and Karcher delivered three hits apiece.

Wilcox was 2 for 4 and drove in a pair of runs. Farrell also had two hits.