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Rush Springs senior pitcher Shelby Callihan pitched well but took a tough, nine-inning 5-4 loss to host Sterling in Saturday’s Regional championship game. With the win, the seventh-ranked Tigers advance to the state tournament in OKC this weekend
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Sterling edges Rush in title game
STERLING – Katie Bridges’ walk-off single to left scored Shelbi Smith in the ninth inning to give host and seventh-ranked Sterling a gut-wrenching 5-4 win over Rush Springs in Saturday’s Regional championship game.
Erick Muncy’s gritty Lady Redskins had a tough week. Four players were home sick and the tournament had to be bumped back a day from the original Thursday start.
They split on Friday, coming out very rusty to lose to Sterling in the first round, but bounced back and played better in a win over Wilson.
They played well again in Saturday’s elimination game but had to rally in their final at-bat for a 5-4 comeback win over Navajo to set up the title game. They rallied again in the championship game for three runs to take a one run lead in the sixth but a controversial home run tied things up to force the extra frames.
Third baseman Lindsey Fehring put the Tigers up 1-0 on an RBI single to right in the bottom of the second but Rush center fielder Mackenzie Manuel tied it up in the fourth with an RBI single to score shortstop Chandler Nichols.
Sterling went up 3-1 in the home fifth on a two-run single by shortstop Emily Fehring but Rush responded with three runs in the sixth to take the lead.
Senior pitcher Shelby Callihan singled with two outs then catcher Whitney Lowe tripled her in with a rope to the right-center field fence. Left fielder Erika Foster kept things going with an RBI single and later scored on center fielder Mackenzie Manuel’s single for a 4-3 lead.
But fate stepped in during Sterling’s last at-bat when Emily Fehring launched a towering fly ball to the left field corner. The ball was tailing away towards foul territory all the way but just cleared the foul pole to tie things up.
Redskin fans thought it was a foul ball but in spite of their protests, the call stood.
Rush went in order in the eighth and dodged another bullet in the home half, getting a forceout at third and another at home and leaving the bases loaded on a popup to third.
But again, they couldn’t get the bats going against freshman pitcher Summer Weeks. A comebacker and two ground balls to Smith at first came back to bite them.
Smith led off with a single and was bunted over on the sacrifice. Second baseman Kimberlin Turpin singled to put runners on the corners and Bridges punched a single to left to score Smith for the winner.
“I couldn’t be any more proud of our kids,” a disappointed Muncy said. “They’re the most resilient group of girls I’ve ever been around. We’ve had some bumps and bruises and had to come from behind all year but they always stepped up and fought back.”
Rush Springs lost three seniors, one their veteran pitcher and two of them All-Staters, off last year’s state semifinalist team.
“There weren’t a whole lot of expectations,” their first-year coach explained. “Each kid played a different position this year and we really over-achieved. Shelby (Callihan) played left field last year and pitched for the first time this year. She did a great job for us and we won more games than we were supposed to, especially at the end.”
Seventh-ranked Sterling takes a 24-11 record to state and Rush Springs closes its season out at 16-18.
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Duncan nips Chicks for straight-game win
Duncan got their eighth match win of the season Tuesday, beating Nancy Waters’ Lady Chicks in straight games at the Activity Center.
The Chicks looked like they had a little hangover from Monday night’s tough road loss at Tecumseh, coming out flat again and dropping their first two games by identical 25-17 scores.
They came out firing on all eight cylinders for game three, running out to a 15-9 lead on the strength of a 7-0 run with Shelby Crosley serving, but the Demons battled back to tie it late and the Chicks let it slip away, 25-21. -
STATE SPORTS BRIEFS
NORMAN (AP) — Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops has named walk-on Patrick O'Hara as the starting place-kicker for the seventh-ranked Sooners.
Stoops said on his radio show Tuesday night that O'Hara won the competition with Jimmy Stevens, freshman Michael Hunnicutt and redshirt freshman Bryce Easley. -
Sooners' announcer to retire
NORMAN (AP) — Bob Barry Sr. announced Tuesday that he plans to retire as the radio play-by-play voice of Oklahoma football and men's basketball after the upcoming season.
Barry has been the radio voice of the Sooners for the last 20 years and he also had a 12-year stint in the job at the beginning of his career. In between, he handled the play-by-play for Tulsa basketball games and then for Oklahoma State football and basketball. -
Big 12 fans target Huskers during last go-round
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Cornhuskers shouldn't expect a fond farewell from fans when they go on the road this fall.
Century-old relationships will end when Nebraska leaves the Big 12 for the Big Ten in 2011, meaning this season's visits to places like Kansas State and Iowa State could be it.
Folks in those old Big Eight haunts already are planning raucous sendoffs.
The message from Iowa State fan Adam Gray: "Don't let the door hit you on the way out." -
Eagle project gives discs flight at park
Early this spring, Tanner Tibbetts, a scout from Troop 4306 in Chickasha began to plan his Eagle Scout Project. He decided on a Disc Golf Course.
He had seen a disc golf tournament at Duncan Lake while he was attending a camporee. There were more than a hundred campers who attended the weekend Disc Golf event at Duncan Lake. He continued to see this event for five consecutive years, because it was held on the same weekend as an annual scout camp.
It was surprising to him see so many people involved in an event that was unavailable in Chickasha. -
Alex visits Ryan for final scrimmage
RYAN – Alex coach Justin Savage took his Longhorns back home to Ryan Friday for their final scrimmage and came away pretty happy with his team’s performance.
With the new re-alignments, Ryan dropped to Class C this year but will still be pretty good despite losing quarterback Colby Barrett to graduation. Vype’s pre-season football magazine picked them to finish second behind Temple in a tough District C-2. -
Chicks struggle with Reds' run game
Clinton, ranked sixth in the Vype Pre-Season 4A poll, brought their powerful running game to Memorial Stadium Thursday for both teams’ final tune-up and presented Chickasha with some new challenges on both sides of the ball.
Tailback Saul Pina, who rushed for just under 1,200 yards (7.1 yards per carry) and 13 touchdowns last year, ran roughshod behind the Reds’ big front line and gave the Chick defense fits. -
Drover Baseball, softball programs host alumni weekend
The USAO baseball and softball programs, in conjunction with the Alumni Association, will host an alumni weekend in August for former players to come together socially and competitively.
“I think it’s a great thing. It keeps them involved in our programs and it provides tradition,” softball coach Jenn White-Cody said. “And I think people love to come back … It’s a way they can reconnect with the guys and gals they played ball with.”
Baseball and softball alumni will meet for dinner and drinks beginning at 5 p.m. August 28, and will follow with an alumni baseball or softball game, beginning at 1 p.m. the following day at Bill Smith Ballpark. Registration for both is $30. Any additional guests — including spouses — are $15 each. -
Chickasha splits matches in Lawton
Chickasha was at Lawton Tomlinson Thursday night for some middle school volleyball and came home with a split. The “A” team lost a close, three-game set and the “B” team won in straight games.
The “A” team prevailed in game one 27-25 but Tom answered with a 22-25 win to even things up and took the rubber game 12-15.
“Elizabeth Wilson and Chloe Moore both served for a five-point runs and Esteria Sanchez had a lot of good hits,” coach Amy Widener said.
Chickasha “B” came out on top in game one 25-19 and held Tom off 25-23 for their straight-game win. Widener said that Devyn Crosley and Athena Stallard both served well for the Chicks in that match.
“Everyone got to play and the girls were very excited,” the coach said. “They worked hard for their points, moved their feet well and never gave up.
“I was very proud of their effort tonight.”
The high school team will be at the Skiatook tournament Saturday then everyone will be back in action Monday at Tecumseh. Matches start at 4 p.m.
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Woods struggles during second round at Barclays
PARAMUS, N.J. (AP) — Tiger Woods was poised to take control at the Barclays on Friday. Instead, he went the other way.
Woods missed a 20-inch putt for one of his four bogeys over the last eight holes and shot a 2-over 73.
The difference from the rest of the year is this only cost him the lead, not a chance of winning.
Jason Day, the 22-year-old Australian who won his first PGA Tour event earlier this year, made three straight birdies late in his round and finished with a good par for a 4-under 67 that gave him a one-shot lead.
Day was at 8-under 134, one shot ahead of Kevin Streelman (63) and Vaughn Taylor (70). - More Sports Headlines
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