By Chuck Reherman
Sports Editor
EDMOND – With the regional tournament looking. Yukon looked to finish the regular season with a pair of tune-up games.
The Millerettes didn’t get accomplished what they were looking for.
Durant scored a pair of runs in the fourth and fifth innings and upended the Millerettes 3-1 in the Oklahoma Christian University Shoot-out Friday in Edmond.
That loss came less than 24 hours after the Millerettes struggled in a 5-0 loss to Southmoore in the final regular season home contest.
The Millerettes 19-8 will host the Region IV tournament beginning Wednesday at the Millerette Softball Complex. With impending weather coming in, the tournament may be moved back to start on Tuesday. School officials are expected to make that decision on Monday.
Durant, 24-8, scored the go-ahead run in the fourth inning on an RBI single and added an insurance run in the fifth again on an RBI single.
The Lady Lions had taken the initial lead with a run in the top of the first inning on a solo home run. Yukon tied the game after Bree Johnson doubled and scored when Jordan Schlarb reached on an error by the centerfielder.
The Millerettes had only four hits in the game (two from Johnson) and did leave seven runners on base. Durant had five hits and also left seven runners on base.
The night before, the Millerettes could not get anything going at the plate. YHS did have five hits but did not have a baserunner get past second base. The Millerettes left seven runners on base.
“We struggled offensively putting bunts down, attacking the ball and letting some first pitch strikes go by,” Millerette head coach Katy Hoke said. “Brooklyn (Mathers) was able to get some good bunts down, but other than that I don’t think we put any others down. We had a couple of hits, but we couldn’t string anything together.
“We came out flat and came out like it didn’t matter,” she said. “But it does matter and that is what I told them. It still matters and this is to prep for next week. You can’t just show up, they are not going to roll over and Yukon is hosting so they automatically goes. You have to continue to work on things, make adjustments and we have to be ready to play next week, it is going to be a dogfight.”
Southmoore had taken the initial lead on an RBI single in the top of the first inning, and opened a 4-0 lead in the fourth with the help of a two-run home run.
Yukon did have runners on base in the first two innings but could not get a runner passed second base. YHS had runners on again in the fourth and fifth innings and again, did not threaten to score.
Southmoore added an insurance run on a solo home run in the top of the seventh inning.
“Defensively, we didn’t have a bad ball game,” Hoke said. “We gave up a couple of walks and those runners scored and they had some hits. They did have the two home runs, but it you leave the ball up they are going to hit it.
“But other than that, they weren’t just killing the ball,” she said. “Even pitching wise it wasn’t horrible. People are going to score, you can’t expect to put up a goose egg every time you go out. Defensively we didn’t hurt ourselves, you have to show up offensively. The pitchers are throwing to so many batters that there is going to be a mistake in there somewhere.
“We have to pick up the speed of our game and have a faster pace to keep that intensity. When we start walking and going slow, we lose everything. That is something we have talked to them, going at the faster pace, make it pop, pop, pop. That’s when the game is fun when you make it clean and fast and you look good. And then things usually start turning in your direction.”
