By CHUCK LARSEN
Sports Editor
NORMAN – Freshman Sonni Flexico held short-handed Chickasha to three hits and struck out seven Tuesday night as Norman cruised to an 8-1 home win.
On top of having pitcher Carly Blasingame still not at full strength after recent elbow surgery, Chick coach Jimmie Darnell had catcher Paige Hightower in Colorado with her summer team and Kayla Woods still sidelined.
To make things worse, third baseman Paige Harrell didn’t show and first baseman Whitney Adams and second baseman Ashley Winstone were still in the city working out with their summer team at game time, causing some last-minute lineup shuffling.
Although the young, reserve-filled lineup did all it could, Norman jumped out quickly and kept building.
After striking out the side in the top of the first, Flexico and Sami Alberts each singled and later stole home in the bottom half for a two-run lead. Flexico drove in another run in the second with a drop-in single to right, but Blasingame kept it from becoming a big inning with a double play to end it, grabbing Albert’s pop bunt and doubling Flexico off at first.
Two infield errors spotted the Tigers an unearned run in the third inning, and they followed that with a delayed double steal and an RBI groundout by Kellie Hyden.
Eighth-grader Bree Hoskins took the circle in the fourth, down 6-0 and gave up two runs on RBI singles by Alberts and Katie Davis.
The Chicks managed only one run on three hits. Blasingame led off the second with a single and then the Chicks picked up their only run in the fifth on two more hits by left fielder Evan Bush and right fielder Tara Nath.
The only other hitter to reach was third baseman Sharay Chappell, who was hit by a pitch in the fifth and was left stranded.
