Sayre tops Elk City in extra inning
- Details
- Published on Friday, 10 August 2012 00:07
Elkettes fall 7-4 to Lady Eagles
Tyler Palmateer
Daily Elk Citian
The Elk City High School softball team fell 7-4 to the Sayre Lady Eagles Thursday night at home, in a game that had to be decided in an extra inning.
The Elkettes (1-1) had a 4-2 lead going into the top of the seventh, but squandered an opportunity to start the season with back-to-back wins after giving up two runs in the inning, then surrendering three more in the top of the eighth.
Down three runs in their last at-bat, the Elkettes went three-up, three-down.
Sayre's Bethany Hines retired 10 Elk City batters, which, in addition to some fielding miscues, seemed to be the difference, ECHS head coach Lindsey Mudgett said.
"We've been working hard [at having quality at-bats] because against Hobart we had 12 strikeouts. Torei Morning (eight strikeouts, 2-for-3 at the plate) pitched a good game, just defensively we fell apart. I think our youth showed a little bit."
Sayre took a 1-0 in the top of the first, when Hines scored on a delayed steal, but ECHS answered in the bottom of the second when freshman Karli Droke knocked a double into the left-field gap. Droke advanced on a passed ball, then scored on a wild pitch.
The Lady Eagles came right back when Kylee Stafford hit an RBI double to score Hines from second base, giving Sayre a 2-1 lead.
The Elkettes regained control the next few innings, as Morning led off the bottom of the fourth with a standup double that hit the left field wall, then came around to score off sophomore catcher Mallory Luttrell's base hit past third base, forcing a 2-2 tie.
Morning gave ECHS a 3-2 lead when she doubled again in the bottom of the fifth, scoring junior Toni Stowe, who got on base with a double of her own. Lutrell's sacrifice bunt in the bottom of the sixth scored Kailan Craig, who reached on a single, giving the Elkettes a 4-2 cushion heading into the bottom of the sixth.
But it was Elk City's defensive breakdowns ultimately gave Sayre the edge in the final two innings.
After Hines reached on a single to right field in the top of the seventh, the freshman pitcher scored on a passed ball, then Kory Easter scored on a wild pitch, forcing a 4-4 tie and an extra inning. Elk City didn't manage a run the rest of the way, while the Lady Eagles embarked a three-run eight inning.
Hines' RBI single to center field scored Breanna Nuantz, and gave the Lady Eagles a 7-4 lead that Elk City couldn't overcome.
Next up for the Elkettes is a Monday home meeting with Clinton at 4:30 at the Elk City softball field.
