Guthrie and Deer Creek have been known for top 10 match-ups when the two programs meet in competition, but rarely, if ever, has it been on the softball field. That was until Tuesday evening.
For the first time in recent memory, the Guthrie program found themselves in the top 10 – at No. 9 – when the coaches released their rankings for the first time this season.
Deer Creek is no stranger to the top 10 rankings and found themselves at the No. 4 spot.
The Lady Antlers will at least hold on to that spot after a 5-3 win over the Lady Jays. Deer Creek scored two runs with two outs in the final inning.
Deer Creek improves to 6-3 overall and 2-0 in the district. With the loss, Guthrie falls to 7-3 and 3-1.
Both teams scratched runs in the third inning. Deer Creek struck for two runs on two hits and in the home half Guthrie was on the board when sophomore Bailey Shaffer, who singled to begin the inning, scored on a Madison Sutton ground ball to shortstop.
Deer Creek was back on the board the next inning thanks to junior Emily Watson’s opposite field solo home run. Watson, who was the winning pitcher, went down in the zone and drove the Shaffer pitch over the wall just missing the Lady Antlers parked bus.
Trailing 3-1, Guthrie was able to tie the game in the fifth inning.
Freshmen Trista LeGrande started the inning with a single up the middle and that was followed a Shaffer single. Both runners moved up with a Danni Graybeal sacrifice bunt.
Sutton then drove in LeGrande for her second RBI of the game with a shot up the middle. Senior McKale Hopfer rounded out the scoring column with a ground ball out to shortstop, but brought in Shaffer to tie the game at 3-all.
In the top of the seventh inning, things could not have started better for Guthrie as they retired the first two batters. However, Deer Creek put back-to-back-to-back hits together that brought in two runs.
Deer Creek’s Tori Bennett single to left was certain to bring in one run, but once the ball with a tremendous amount of back spin landed on the ground the ball spun away from left-fielder LeGrande to bring in the second run.
Guthrie did not go away quietly in their final at bat with Sutton and Hopfer making their way on base, but were stranded at second and third.
Up next for the Lady Jays is the Prague Tournament starting on Thursday and ending on Saturday. They will first play 3A Sperry at 11 a.m.
Incredible points. Solid arguments. Keep up the good
spirit.