Mother Nature changes plans; KHS still wins 2
OLIVIA WILCOX continues to deliver stellar pitching performances for KHS while also being Mother Nature changes plans; KHS still wins 2 a force at the plate (See stories on Page 6 and Page 7). [Photo by Chris Simon/www.simon-sports-photos.smugmug.com]
Weather put an end to the Highway 81 Classic softball tournament Kingfisher was to take part in last weekend.
But it didn’t completely keep KHS off the diamond.
The Lady Jackets squeezed in wins over Tonkawa and Laverne at Chisholm ahead of a busy week.
“We couldn’t get the tournament in, but we still wanted to get some games in,” head coach Danny Green said. “So it still worked out.”
The Lady Jackets first knocked off Tonkawa 5-3 despite managing only one hit.
KHS capitalized on six Lady Bucs errors.
Two of those came in the first inning when Natalie Dick reached on an error and scored when Olivia Wilcox followed her by doing the same.
Kingfisher kept its 1-0 lead until the fifth, then extended it.
Mia Farrell used a fielder’s choice and Kaycee Karcher was hit by a pitch to get aboard the bases. They scored when Wilcox slapped that lone hit - a triple - to push the lead to 4-0.
Tonkawa got three runs back in the bottom half of the inning.
Back-to-back KHS errors were followed up by back-to-back hits by Tonkawa, which made it a onerun game.
Taylor Mills walked and scored on an error in the sixth for some cushion and Wilcox retired Tonkawa in order in the bottom half-inning for the win.
Wilcox gave up just four hits and struck out eight without walking a batter.
She had to work an extra inning and Kingfisher had to come from behind to get the 5-4 victory against Laverne (games were slated for six innings).
The Lady Tigers used a three-run second inning as part of a 4-2 lead over Kingfisher entering the bottom of the sixth inning.
Facing defeat, Kingfisher clawed two runs home to force the extra frame.
Wilcox reached on a one-out single and - one out later - Emma Lukasek got on with a base hit.
Mills extended the contest with a game-tying, tworun triple.
Farrell and Karcher combined for the game winner in the bottom of the seventh.
Farrell reached on a triple then Karcher’s double brought her home to end it.
A pair of bunts by Laverne and errors by Kingfisher led to the 3-0 lead for the Lady Tigers in the second inning.
Merrin Evans and Karcher had RBIs in the second to reduce the deficit.
The Lady Jackets didn’t score again until the sixth.
Mills was the only Lady Jacket with multiple hits. The team had seven overall.
Wilcox surrendered five hits and only two runs were earned.
She struck out five and walked two.