Softball splits home district games; ranked sixth in poll

The Guthrie Lady Jays softball program has boldly gone somewhere where they have not been for a long, long time.

Before the start of Tuesday’s district match-up with El Reno, the Lady Jays learned they had moved up three spots in the coaches poll to No. 6 to mark their highest ranking in several seasons. Several seasons meaning perhaps as many as 12 to 15 years.

The ranking held true as Guthrie erupted for seven runs in the second inning against El Reno that helped lead them to a 12-0 run-rule win.

With the win, it helped eliminate a little bit of the sour taste in their mouth after dropping an 8-4 decision to Carl Albert the previous evening.

Guthrie now stands at 11-5 on the year and 4-2 in the district. Carl Albert stands atop the district standings with a 4-0 record (10-1 overall) followed by Deer Creek’s 4-0 (11-4 overall). The top two seeds automatically host two of the four Class 5A regionals.

In the win over El Reno, senior pitcher McKale Hopfer picked up the pitching win by allowing just three hits. The Lady Indians had just two baserunners able to reach second base and one to reach third base.

In the run-happy second inning, Guthrie poured on three hits with Bailey Shaffer, Sam Simpson and Gracynn Smith each collecting a RBI each.

The game ended in the fifth inning when shortstop Danni Graybeal blasted a pitch to left-center field to score three and put the Lady Jays over the 10-run mercy rule.

Against the third ranked Titans, Guthrie pulled within a run, 4-3, in the third inning, but allowed Carl Albert to score four more runs in the last three innings.

The Lady Jays could manage just four hits with two of those coming from Cameron Jenkins. Shaffer scored two of the four runs after she took advantage of two Titans errors to reach base.

Up next for Guthrie is another district game when they travel to Oklahoma City and take on Northwest Classen on Thursday before they get back on the bus and head to Ponca City on Friday.