Guthrie softball may not have gotten off to the overall start it envisioned, but the Lady Jays have taken care of business where it matters most — district play.
Guthrie enters next week with a 13-9 overall record and a perfect 7-0 mark in Class 5A district action after a big week that included a road victory over rival Carl Albert and a home sweep of Guymon.
The biggest win of the season came Tuesday when Guthrie traveled to Carl Albert for a matchup between two teams that entered the game undefeated in district play. The Lady Jays came away with a 6-5 victory, putting themselves in a strong position at the top of the district standings.
Carl Albert struck first with a solo home run in the second inning, but Guthrie catcher Brylan Shephard answered with a solo shot of her own in the top of the third to tie the game at 1-1.
The Titans regained the lead with another solo home run in the fourth before Guthrie battled back in the sixth. Halle Hamilton delivered a double and Savannah Ingle added an RBI single as the Lady Jays pulled even.
Guthrie made its biggest move in the seventh inning.
Lola Brown delivered the go-ahead double as the Lady Jays pushed across the runs needed to grab a 6-4 advantage. Carl Albert scored once in the bottom half of the inning, but Guthrie held on for the 6-5 district victory.
Brown led the Lady Jays at the plate with a 3-for-4 performance and drove in two runs. Hamilton also finished with two RBIs, while Shephard collected two hits, including her home run.
Emry Hebensperger earned the win in relief, allowing just one hit and one unearned run over 2 1/3 innings. She struck out three without issuing a walk. Holland McLemore started in the circle and worked 4 2/3 innings.
The Lady Jays, led by head coach Kara Tarrant, who is in her third season as head coach and her 15th season overall with the Guthrie softball program, followed the emotional district win by taking care of business Thursday at home against Guymon. Guthrie swept the district doubleheader with convincing 17-0 and 11-1 victories to improve to 7-0 in district play.
While the 13-9 overall record may not be where Guthrie expected to be at this point of the season, several Lady Jays are putting together strong individual seasons.
Savannah Ingle and Anna Stevens lead Guthrie with .393 batting averages. Ingle and Stevens are tied for the team lead with 24 hits along with Teagan Duehning and Ryn McCormick.
Duehning leads the Lady Jays with 21 RBIs, while Shephard has supplied the power with a team-high five home runs.
In the circle, McLemore leads Guthrie with six victories, while Hebensperger has collected five wins and carries an impressive 1.05 earned run average.
Guthrie will return to district play Monday against Midwest City as the Lady Jays look to keep their unbeaten district record intact.
The Lady Jays are once again working toward a familiar destination — the Class 5A state tournament.
Guthrie has qualified for the state tournament in each of the past five seasons and is looking to make it six straight appearances in 2026.
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