Tasha Kelsey connects for the Central Lady Tigers during Class 4A District 15 tournament action on Thursday. Gore catcher Blake Kochy looks on. Central won 16-11, before falling 13-6 and 7-6 to Hartshorne.
The Lady Tigers, 0-12 entering the tournament, which participating coaches voted to holds at their field, stunned Sequoyah County rival Gore 16-11 in the opening round, before falling 13-6 and 7-6 to Hartshorne.
The Lady Miners (14-13) emerged victorious, moving on to regional play.
Central led throughout the final game, hoping to force a decisive third game against Hartshorne.
“I’m proud of them,” Central head coach Barbie Weaver said of her youthful squad. “They came out and played really hard and played pretty good. I told them they played their best ball games all year.”
Central 16, Gore 11
Gore entered the district with a 7-8 mark and Hartshorne with an 11-13 record. On paper the two teams seemed to make an interesting finals match-up. It was the winless Lady Tigers who pulled the surprise of the day, however, erupting for 10 runs in the second inning and holding off the Lady Pirates, 16-11.
Four Gore errors, four walks and five Central hits accounted for the second-inning eruption that gave the Lady Tigers a 12-2 lead. A two-run single by first baseman Laci Gabbert and an RBI single by center fielder Tasha Kelsey highlighted the inning.
The Lady Prates battled back with three in the second, one in the third and five in the fourth.
The fourth-inning rally put the pressure on Central, making it a 12-9 game. Gore slugger Dena Qualls, whom Central opted to intentionally walk twice, came up with the bases loaded and rapped a three-run triple to left.
Qualls had also moved to the pitchers’ mound by then. The third Gore hurler, she shut the Tigers down until the bottom of the sixth. A two-out walk by No. 10 batter Liz Herrera opened a four-run rally that inning that saw Tanar Sigel, Gabbert and Alix Watkins rap singles, Watkins’ driving in two runs.
The insurance runs made it 16-9 and helped Central withstand a Gore rally in the seventh that scored a pair of runs.
The game was notable for several outstanding defensive plays. The most memorable were turned in by rival left fielders Kara Alexander of Central and Kinsey Mullen of Gore, both in the fourth inning.
In the top of the inning, with one out and one on, Gore’s Destiny Leader drilled a shot into deep left field. Alexander made a spectacular diving catch, robbing Leader of a hit. In the bottom of the inning Mullen returned the favor, hauling in a wicked sinking line drive off of Gabbert’s bat.
On the game, Sigel went 3-for-5, while Gabbert, Watkins and Kelsey had two hits apiece and Jacklyn Jiles one. Gabbert, Watkins and Kelsey drove in two runs apiece, while Jiles, Jenny Martindale and Alexander had one RBI apiece.
Mullen went 3-for-4 for Gore. Heather Harmon, Qualls, Leader, Kiley Lowden and Brooklyn Dye had one hit apiece. Qualls drove in three runs, while Kameko Aasamen, Mullen, Savannah Isbell and Dye had one RBI each.
Jiles went the distance for Central, earning the victory.
H’hrn 13, Central 6
After the Lady Miners eliminated Gore 17-7, they took on the Lady Tigers in a best two-of-three for the district crown.
A seven-run third inning put Hartshorne in control with a 9-2 lead. They cruised in with a 13-6 victory, putting Central in a position of having to win back-to-back games to take the crown.
Four Miner hits, two walks and five Lady Tiger errors helped Hartshorne plate the seven in the third inning.
Hartshorne built up a 13-3 lead in the top of the seventh, before Central rallied for three in the bottom of the frame. Sigel, Jiles and Gabbert singled to open the inning, Gabbert’s driving in a run. Watkins and Jenny Martindale then walked, Martindale forcing in a run. Kelsey got the final run home on a ground-out.
Sigel and Gabbert were both 3-for-4, while Jiles, Watkins, Martindale, Alexander and Herrera had one hit apiece. Gabbert and Martindale each drove in two runs, while Kelsey had one RBI.
H’hrn 7, Central 6
In a wild game, Central jumped out to a 5-0 lead, only to see the Lady Miners score four in the second.
Central led until the bottom of the fifth, when Hartshorne (the home team for the second game) knotted the score at 6-6. Just as extra innings seems eminent, a pair of Central errors allowed Hartshorne to eek out a 7-6 win in the bottom of the seventh.
The Lady Tigers jumped ahead early. Two Miner errors and singles by Sigel, Watkins, Kelsey and Breanna Ziemba made it 4-0. A fielder’s choice RBI by Watkins made it 5-0 in the second.
Kelsy Riley’s two-run single capped the four-run Hartshorne second inning, making it 5-4.
In the third, Ashley Ardrey drove in a run for Central and Candice Baker one for Hartshorne.
The Lady Tigers, who put runs on the board each of the first three innings, put the first batter on in the top of the fourth. The Lady Miners, who had turned two double plays in the previous game, then turned a 6-4-3 twin killing. Central would not have another baserunner.
The final 11 Lady Tiger batters were retired.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Lady Miners finally caught Central. A single by Kristen Redbird and two Tiger errors tied it up at 6-6.
It was still 6-6 with two out in the bottom of the seventh. A pair of errors then allowed Holly Brocovich to get on and score the game-winning run.
On the game, Sigel, Kelsey and Ziemba all went 2-for-3, while Jiles, Watkins and Ardrey each had one hit. Watkins drove in two runs and Kelsey, Ardrey and Ziemba one each.
“We ended on a good note,” Weaver said. “They don’t have anything to hang their heads about.”
The young Lady Tigers started four freshmen all season and made great strides during the year.
“We improved a whole bunch,” Weaver said. “It was a rebuilding year. I’m looking forward to having them all back next year.”
