Three-way tie sees KHS settle for 2nd at Highway 33 Classic

The Kingfisher softball team was runner-up of its own tournament for a second straight year, but, ironically, defeated the eventual champion.

The Lady Jackets went 4-1 last weekend in their own Highway 33 Classic.

That record - and the results - put them in a threeway tie for first along with Anadarko and Chisholm.

Anadarko won the tie-breaker to claim the title while KHS was second.

However, it was the Lady Jackets who came out on top Thursday when the teams met for their first game of the round-robin tournament.

A pitcher’s duel to the very end, it was Olivia Wilcox who got the best of Hailey Voyles in a 1-0 KHS victory.

Wilcox surrendered just two hits and struck out eight to get the six-inning shutout (due to time limit).

She also drove in the game’s lone run in the top of the first inning.

Mia Farrell led off by reaching on an error, got to second on a passed ball and stole third.

With two outs, Wilcox drove Farrell home with a single to right-center.

The Lady Jackets didn’t have another hit until the fourth and just three more the rest of the game, but didn’t need them.

Anadarko threatened with runners in scoring position in the first, second, third, fifth and sixth innings.

The Lady Warriors did it mostly by taking advantage of five hit batters and three KHS errors, but Wilcox pitched herself out of the jam each time.

That included the bottom of the sixth when she hit two batters and allowed the winning run to reach base with one out.

However, she forced a fly-out and then ended the game with her eighth strikeout.

The Lady Jackets’ other marquee matchup came later on Thursday against Chisholm, teams that have battled it out for the tournament title in recent years.

This time it was Mary Andrews of Chisholm getting the best of Wilcox in a 3-0 Lady Longhorn win.

Andrews only gave up two hits and struck out eight over five innings.

Wilcox struck out seven, but one of the three hits she gave up was a two-run homer to Maegan Jackson in the bottom of the first inning.

The Lady Jackets’ only threat came in the third when Taylor Mills led off with a triple, but never could score.

That was the only inning KHS had a runner reach.

The Lady Jackets were dominant in their final three games.

The first was Friday, which produced a 4-1 win over Dibble.

Wilcox surrendered six hits and struck out eight for the win.

The Lady Jackets got three of their runs in the second, highlighted by Mills’ two-run homer over the left-field wall.

That shot scored Lu-kasek, who reached with an RBI single.

They added a fourth in the third inning when Natalie Dick’s groundout pushed home Farrell, who reached on a double.

Saturday provided little resistance as KHS beat two foes by a combined 17-0.

Wilcox gave up one hit in a 6-0 five-inning win over Fort Cobb-Broxton. The senior struck out seven batters.

Newcomer Merrin Evans had the opportunistic bat as she had an RBI double in the fourth and then a tworun double in the fifth.

Lukasek preceded the latter double with her own RBI single as Kingfisher scored three times to put the game out of reach.

Mills scored twice in the game.

KHS ended the tournament with an 11-0 win over Watonga in four innings.

Wilcox earned a no-hitter while striking out 10.

Senior Kaycee Karcher and Mya Dewberry drove in two runs apiece to go along with their two hits each.

Hill had two hits and scored twice. She drove in a run as did Dick.

Kingfisher outscored its foes 22-4 in the tournament.

After the loss to Kingfisher, Anadarko got wins over the rest of the field, including beating Chisholm 2-0 in extra innings on Saturday.