Six straight! Guthrie softball rolls through regional, returns to Class 5A state tournament

The Guthrie Lady Jays are headed back to the Class 5A State Softball Tournament for the sixth consecutive season after dominating their regional tournament with three shutout victories, outscoring opponents by a combined 42-0.

Guthrie punched its ticket to state Thursday afternoon with a 14-0 victory over Altus, completing an impressive two-day regional performance that included wins over Midwest City and two victories against Altus.

The Lady Jays, under third-year head coach Kara Tarrant (15 total seasons in Guthrie), entered the postseason after capturing the district championship with a perfect 10-0 district record and finishing the regular season 23-10.

Guthrie will now turn its attention to the Class 5A State Tournament, scheduled for October 15-17 at FireLake Ball Park in Shawnee.

Six straight state tournament appearances

With another regional championship secured, Guthrie continues one of the most consistent postseason runs in Class 5A softball.

The Lady Jays have now qualified for six consecutive state tournaments and will enter this year’s championship field following an unbeaten district season and three convincing regional victories.

Guthrie’s offense produced 42 runs during regional play, while its pitching and defense did not surrender a single run.

The Lady Jays could receive a seed as high as No. 3 in the state tournament, although official seedings and the complete tournament field have not yet been announced.

Game times and first-round opponents are expected to be released later this week.

State tournament information

The Class 5A State Softball Tournament will be played October 15-17 at FireLake Ball Park in Shawnee.

Online tickets will cost $11 plus a $1.55 processing fee, bringing the total to $12.55 per ticket.

The online ticket link will become available Monday, October 12, at 9 a.m. through OSSAA.com.

Tickets purchased with cash at the tournament will cost $14.

Guthrie’s first-round opponent, game time, and field assignment will be announced following the release of the official state tournament bracket.

Guthrie 14, Altus 0 — Regional Championship

Guthrie wasted little time taking control of Thursday’s regional championship game, scoring four runs in the first inning and never looking back.

Teagan Duehning, Halle Hamilton, Emalyn Redman and Brylan Shephard each delivered run-scoring hits in the opening inning to give the Lady Jays an early advantage.

The offensive production continued in the second inning when Hamilton singled home a run before Savannah Ingle launched a two-run home run to left field, extending Guthrie’s lead to 7-0.

Guthrie put the game away with seven additional runs in the third inning, taking advantage of timely hitting, walks, a hit batter and an Altus defensive error.

Hamilton led the Lady Jays with three hits in four at-bats, while Redman, Duehning and Ryn McCormick each finished with multiple hits.

Guthrie collected 14 hits in the championship victory.

In the circle, Guthrie’s pitching staff continued its regional dominance, allowing just three hits over five scoreless innings while recording six strikeouts without issuing a walk.

The Lady Jays also turned a double play defensively to help preserve the shutout.

Guthrie 10, Altus 0 — Wednesday

Savannah Ingle delivered one of the biggest swings of the regional tournament Wednesday, blasting a grand slam to left field in the fourth inning to highlight Guthrie’s 10-0 victory over Altus.

Ingle finished with five RBIs on two hits as the Lady Jays continued their offensive success.

Guthrie broke through in the second inning when Ingle brought home the game’s first run on a groundout.

The Lady Jays then erupted for five runs in the third inning, highlighted by a two-run double from Duehning and an RBI double from Hamilton.

An Altus error and an RBI single from Redman helped extend the advantage before Ingle’s fourth-inning grand slam put the finishing touches on the victory.

Hamilton, Redman and Ingle each collected two hits as Guthrie finished with nine hits.

In the circle, Guthrie allowed only three hits over five scoreless innings, striking out four and walking one.

Guthrie 18, Midwest City 0 — Wednesday

Guthrie opened regional play Wednesday with an offensive explosion, defeating Midwest City 18-0 behind a six-RBI performance from Duehning.

The Lady Jays scored once in the second inning before erupting for 17 runs in the third to put the game out of reach.

Duehning delivered three hits in the victory, including a double and two singles, with all six of her RBIs coming during the massive third inning.

Anna Stevens contributed a pair of doubles and three RBIs in the inning, while Redman, McCormick and Shephard also delivered run-scoring hits.

Guthrie collected nine hits and drew 10 walks in the victory.

Ingle reached base on three walks, while McCormick added two stolen bases.

The Lady Jays were equally impressive defensively, committing no errors while limiting Midwest City to just one hit over four innings.

Guthrie’s pitching staff recorded four strikeouts in the shutout victory.