Two games, two walk-offs. Now, the Guthrie Lady Jays will play in the program’s first-ever softball championship game.
Trailing 5-3 in their final at-bat against Coweta, the same team that eliminated the Jays in the past two seasons in the state tournament, delivered three runs to erupt the bench and send fans wearing blue and white jumping for joy.
Coweta scored the game’s first run in the top of the fourth inning, but Guthrie matched that run in the same inning when Haley Gallo got a rare pitch to hit and drove the ball over the left field wall.
However, Coweta responded with four runs in the fifth inning and had a commanding 5-1 lead. Only to see Jays begin to chip away.
Cody Hibbs tripled to plate Kinley Duehning and pulled the score within 5-2.
In the sixth, Gallo led the inning off with an intentional walk, Abbie Eichler added a single, and Bryland Shepard brought Gallo home with a single to pull the Jays within two runs, 5-3.
Down to their final three outs of the season, the inning started off with a Hibbs single to right. Katelynn Seiss was hit in the face mask, and Ryn McCormick drew a four-pitch walk to load the bases with no outs.
The scene was set with Gallo coming to the plate with the thought and feel of a walk-off homerun running through the heads of fans, players, and coaches on both sides. But give credit to the freshmen Coweta pitcher to get the out on a swing and miss.
Next to the plate was Ava Hebensperger, who delivered a crucial single to score Hibbs. Guthrie pulled within a run, 5-4.
Head coach Booker Blakley could not have better scripted the finish with his senior Eichler to the plate, Seiss at third, and McCormick at second.
The senior delivered in a senior-type moment.
Eichler delivered a hit to left field to score Seiss to tie the game, but Blakley did not hesitate to wave the freshmen home for the walk-off run.
Pure celebration erupted on the field and in the stands as the ball got past the Coweta catcher. Not for the 28th win of the year, but a chance to win a state championship on Saturday afternoon. No other softball team in Guthrie has had a chance to do so.
Guthrie, the number three-seeded team, will play top seed Piedmont for the Class 5A state championship at 2:30 p.m. at OU Softball Stadium in Norman.
Piedmont, the team has only lost three times this season and two of those losses were from teams not from Oklahoma, has yet to allow a run in the state tournament. They defeated Durant 3-0 on day one and Elgin 4-0 on Friday.
Tickets can be purchased here and the game will be streamed live by the NFHS Network.
The first walk-off to set up the second walk-off
In last year’s first-round state game, Guthrie needed 10 innings to beat Tahlequah. The same two teams reunited on Thursday for another first-round classic.
The game was tied in the seventh when McCormick singled home to score Hibbs.
Tahlequah quickly jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning only to see Guthrie tie the game in the third inning with three runs of their own.
But just like that, Tahlequah scored three runs in the next inning to get their three-run lead back.
Trailing 7-3 and down to their final six outs of the season, Guthrie scored four crucial runs in the sixth inning highlighted by Hebensperger driving in three runs with the biggest double of the entire season to tie the game.
In the seventh, Hibbs delivered a one-out single and was moved over to second with a sac bunt from Siess. With the running run on second, McCormick, a freshman, delivered the biggest hit of her Jays career for the walk-off win.
Two wins. Two walk-offs. Maybe a third?
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