LADY INDIANS SWEEP CAVE SPRINGS & CHOUTEAU

By Gregg Stilwell
The Stilwell Lady Indians swept a pair of softball games in three-way action Monday afternoon, defeating Cave Springs 13-3 and Chouteau 5-0.

Stilwell split a pair of games last Friday losing to Roland 9-5 and defeating Jay by the same score. With the 3-1 week the Lady Indians improved their season record to 10-4.

STILWELL 13 CAVE SPRINGS 3

Stilwell scored in every inning against the Lady Hornets on their way to an easy win in the opening game of the afternoon.

Sky Watie started things off with a bang, blasting a shot into left-centerfield for a leadoff triple. Nicki Cochran walked to put runners at the corners and Chris Bunch drove home the game’s first run with a sharply hit single through the hole at short.

Brittani Muskrat drove in Cochran with a one out single and senior Mandy Lawrence’s sacrifice-fly plated Bunch, giving the Lady Indians a 3-0 lead after one inning.

Krisha Hudson began the Stilwell rally in the bottom of the second with a walk. Kyla Wilson moved Hudson to third with a single. Senior Allison Biederstadt drove in a run with a sacrifice to second and Watie followed with her second hit of the day, a two-out single that sent Hudson trotting home. Stilwell took a 5-0 advantage into the third inning.

Pitcher Erica Pritchett reached on an error by the Lady Hornet leftfielder. It looked like Pritchett would be stranded on first base, but the Lady Indians came up with three two-out hits.

Lawrence singled to keep the inning alive and Jamie Nakedhead came through with a clutch triple to plate Pritchett and Lawrence. Melanie Littledeer matched Nakedhead with a triple of her own to pick up the easy RBI. Nakedhead tried to stretch the triple into a four-bagger but a perfect throw from the leftfielder was in time to record the out at the plate.

Pritchett was in command in the pitcher’s circle, but a two-out error in the fourth inning paved the way for three unearned Cave Springs’ runs, cutting the Stilwell lead to 8-3.

A single by Hudson leading off the home half of the fourth inning started what would prove to be a game winning rally. An overthrow by the Lady Hornet shortstop on Hudson’s base knock sent her to second base.

Wilson singled to score Hudson and Biederstadt followed with an infield single.

A sacrifice by Neena Bolin played Wilson to up the Stilwell lead to 10-3.

A two-base error placed Cochran at second base and Biederstadt at third.

Bunch singled into left field driving in Cochran and Biederstadt.

A pinch hit by Taumi Hogner moved Bunch into scoring position where she would score the Lady Indians’ 13th run on Muskrat’s second RBI of the afternoon.

Good pitching by Pritchett and good fielding by her teammates ended the game on the 10 run rule. Pritchett gave up only her second hit of the day with one out in the top of the fifth. That runner was quickly erased with a fielder’s choice and the game ended with a harmless ground ball to Cochran.

Pritchett allowed only two hits in picking up her sixth win of the season.

 STILWELL 5 CHOUTEAU 0

In the nightcap of the three-way the Lady Indians 14 hits while Erica Pritchett allowed only four on the way to her seventh win of the season and third in-a-row.

The Lady Indians jumped out on top in the first. Sky Watie singled to leadoff the home half of the first. With one out Allison Biederstadt set the tone for the game. Biederstadt blasted a shot to the wall in left center field and raced around the bases for an inside the park homerun.  The homerun was Biederstadt’s first inside the park, but her second overall.

Nicki Cochran circled the bases in the third inning. Cochran hit a line drive into left field for a clean double. The Lady Wildcat leftfielder overthrew the second baseman sending the ball bounding into the right field corner allowing Cochran to score the Lady Indians’ third run of the evening.

Biederstadt continued her hot hitting banging a triple into right-centerfield. Chris Bunch singled to plate Biederstadt and give Stilwell a 4-1 advantage after three complete.

The Lady Indians added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth. Brittany Muskrat reached on a two out single and scored on a two-base error by the Chouteau rover off of the bat of Melanie Littledeer.

Chouteau would threaten in the top of the seventh. A leadoff single and an error put Lady Wildcats at first and second. Pritchett worked her way out of the jam by coaxing a pop-up to for the first out. A ground ball back to the pitcher’s circle was fielded by Pritchett who threw to third for the force out.

The game ended when Cochran nabbed a soft grounder and threw to first to record the game winning out.

“We are looking very good,” said head coach Vernon Scott, “in every area we are playing well. We will really be tested this weekend at the Norman Tournament of Champions but it will be a good experience for us. We expect to come back with some wins. We are definitely on the right track.”

Stilwell split a pair of games last Friday. The Lady Indians lost the first game of a three-way with Roland and Jay. The Lady Rangers defeated Lady Indians 9-5 despite homeruns by Allison Biederstadt and Mandy Lawrence. “Allison hit her homerun on a line drive over the wall in left-center,” said Scott, “Mandy’s was an inside the park homerun.”

Biederstadt’s homerun was a two-run shot that scored Sky Watie. Kyla Wilson and Watie managed back-to-back singles to set up the Lady Indians final two runs in the loss to Roland. Wilson scored on a single by Nicki Cochran and Biederstadt drove in her third run of the game with a single, again scoring Watie.

Roland led by a single run, 6-5 heading into the seventh inning but came up with three big insurance runs set the final of 9-5.

The Lady Indians turned the score around on the Jay Lady Bulldogs in the nightcap. Jay jumped out to a 2-0 lead going into the bottom of the second. Stilwell cut the lead in half with a single by Erica Pritchett and an RBI single by Mandy Lawrence.

The Lady Indians tallied five in the home half of the third. Sam Means doubled to start the scoring festivities and Jamie Nakedhead drove her in with a two-bagger of her own. Watie singled in courtesy runner Kasey Drywater and Biederstadt singled to score Watie. A single by Pritchett placed runners at first and third. Mandy Lawrence came through with a clutch two-out single, scoring both baserunners and making the score 6-1 in favor of the Lady Indians.

Watie, Cochran and Biederstadt strung together three straight singles to begin the fifth inning. Watie scored on Biederstadt’s hit. Pritchett and Lawrence drove in the final two runs with a pair of singles.

Pritchett picked up the win for the Lady Indians.

Stilwell played at Sequoyah late Tuesday and will travel to Muldrow on Thursday before heading to Norman on Friday and Saturday for the Norman Tournament of Champions.

The tournament will be a pool play format with the Lady Indians in Pool E with Class 6A #1 ranked Westmoore in the opener at 1:00 followed by Roff at 2:00 and Tecumseh at 5:30.

The Lady Indians will return home on Tuesday April 5, hosting a three-way with Muldrow and Keys.