By Chuck Reherman
Sports Editor
NORMAN – At this point of the season and in the district race, a win and any win is important.
Yukon picked up another important win.
The Millerettes held onto a share of the District 6A-2 lead Thursday, pulling off a 5-2 win over Norman at the Lady Tigers softball field and sweeping the two game series.
The Millerettes, 10-3 overall and 7-0 in the district race, are tied with Southmoore for the lead. SHS holds a one-point edge (44-43) in the district point standings and the teams still have to play twice. The game with Southmoore Tuesday was rained out and is tentatively set for Sept. 12 and the teams will meet a second time on Sept. 24 in a game that will more than likely determine the district title.
Yukon did take a 4-0 lead in the second inning and added an insurance run in the top of the seventh to seal the win.
That came after the game, which was moved to a 4 p.m. start, didn’t get started until nearly 5 p.m. after the umpires arrived at the game late.
“That was ugly, but we made it through and got the win,” Millerette head coach Katy Hoke said. “The delay absolutely threw us off. We were ready to go and then sitting there in the baking sun for nearly an hour. The way the field sits, the sun comes right into the visiting team’s dugout and it become a sauna in that dugout.
“We fought through really,” she added. “We hadn’t played in 10 days and we didn’t have a great day at the plate, but we battled through. We had the one good inning and we will take it.”
The Millerettes did get runners on base in more than the second inning, but could only get one more run across the plate. And, that was enough of an insurance the Millerettes needed.
Gigi Vandelune’s fly ball to centerfield was dropped. Pinch runner Presley Bryant raced to third on a single by Taryn Blazevich. She scored on McKenna Johnson’s RBI single to open the 5-2 lead.
Norman did threaten in the bottom of the inning with two runners on. But, a pop up on a bunt was caught by catcher Krysana Pellett, who fired to first for a doubleplay. YHS pitcher Kaylee Bradley got the next batter to ground out to end the game.
Bradley helped her own cause in sparking a four-run second inning with a run scoring single. Maddie Montgomery had doubled to start the rally and after Kaylee Witte reached on an error, Bradley drilled her base hit to plate the games first run.
Witte scored on a Norman error and Vandelune scored when Taylor McMahon’s fly ball was dropped in the outfield. Blazevich’s RBI single drove in the fourth run to cap the inning.
“We need to make better adjustments at the plate, we are stilling poping up too many times,” Hoke said. “It was a culmination of everything, and it was just not our best day. The main thing we got the win, we are still tied for first and you have to take every district win you can.”
The Millerettes will play Westmoore for a second time (YHS won 3-2) on Tuesday and heads to Midwest City. Both of those games will be at 6:30 p.m.
