By Chuck Reherman
Sports Editor
WARR ACRES – In a race for the top spot in the district, wins, any wins are at a premium.
Yukon went in to Tuesday night’s match at Putnam City knowing it needed a win to keep its share of first place.
The Lady Pirates, though, pulled off the upset on a walk-off single in the bottom of the eighth inning, 6-5, at Putnam City.
It was the first district loss for the Millerettes, 5-1, who are now 12-4 overall. YHS trailed Westmoore by one game for the 6A-2 lead and is one game in front of the Lady Pirates and Moore for second place.
Putnam City rallied from a 5-0 deficit to tie the game and force extra innings. In the bottom of the eighth inning, PCO’s Quin Elkshoulder delivered the game ending hit on a one-out single to centerfielder. She drove in Grace Batdorf, who had singled to lead off the inning.
“There is not much to say about this one,” Millerette coach Katy Hoke said. “Defensively, we didn’t show up. Offensively we didn’t make the adjustments.
“Brooke (Mathers) had a good day in centerfield, she tracked down some hard hit balls,” she added. “Ultimately, you have to show up to play. You can’t take anyone for granted.
“We talked before the game about playing to the level of softball we have been playing and coming out and hitting. But, we didn’t make our adjustments to their pitching. We just kept popping the ball up and popping the ball up.”
The Millerettes, who routed Norman North for the second time this season 12-1 on Monday night, jumped out to a 5-0 lead on Putnam City, scoring three times in top of the fourth inning. But, the Lady Pirates countered with a four-run bottom of the fourth inning, tied the game in the game in the bottom of the fifth, then turned the Millerettes away in the seventh and eighth innings.
The Millerettes had the go-ahead run on second base in the seventh (Mathers who had walked) after Ashlynn Bruce bunted her to second. PCO intentionally walked Bree Johnson, then got a fly out to end the inning.
In the eighth, the Millerettes again had the go ahead runner on base after a walk, but stranded her.
The Millerettes had taken a 2-0 lead in the third inning on a run scoring double from Bruce. Parker Moore had doubled and Hannah Hurtz reached on an infield single. A ground out by Mathers drove in the game’s first run and Bruce doubled in the run.
YHS added three more runs to their lead go open 5-0 lead in the fourth. Amanda Davis doubled home the first run of the inning and Kaylee Witt reached on an error that scored two more.
“When we got that five-run lead we got a little relaxed,” Hoke said. “We have done that in a couple of games and gotten away with it. But teams are not going to lay down, they want to win.
“That was unfortunate that it took place, we needed that win,” she said. “It was not a loss we could really afford.”
Yukon 12 NNHS 1
The Millerettes earned a district sweep of Norman North, scoring eight runs in the opening inning and posting a 12-1 win over the Lady Timberwolves on Monday.
The Millerettes put together eight hits in the inning, four extra base ones, to take control of the contest.
Bruce tripled in the first run of the game with a line drive shot over the centerfielder’e head. Bree Johnson doubled four pitches later to open a 2-0 lead.
Makenna Johnson’s two-out double plated the third run and back-to-back RBI singles from Belle Provence and A.J. Rayburn opened a 5-0 lead.
Hurtz, who singled to open the game, tripled in her second trip in the inning to that drove in two more runs. She scored on a Mathers single.
Makenna Johnson tripled home a run in the second inning and an RBI double from Davis opened a 10-0 lead in the third. Bruce’s two-run single in the fourth pushed the lead to 12-1.
“We made adjustments and worked with the pitching that was given to us,” Hoke said. “We made the plays at the plate hitting the ball and we came away with a win.”
The Millerettes won’t play again until hosting Putnam City in the second game on Thursday. YHS travels to Westmoore on Friday.
