VIAN - The Henryetta Lady Knight fastpitch softball team traveled here Tuesday evening for a regional tournament tune-up against the Vian Lady Wolverines.
VIAN - The Henryetta Lady Knight fastpitch softball team traveled here Tuesday evening for a regional tournament tune-up against the Vian Lady Wolverines.
The Lady Knights (24-8) tallied an insurance run in the top of the sixth of Tuesday's contest, then held off a late rally in the bottom of the seventh inning to walk away with a thrilling 5-4 decision.
The Henryetta diamond squad, who finished second in the 3A-6 standings with a 7-3 district record, began their journey towards a state tournament berth for the first time since 2014 when the Lady Knights finished runner-up to Washington, on Thursday at 2 p.m. against the Kansas Lady Comets. A win over Kansas would put the Lady Knights in the winner's bracket finals Thursday at 6 p.m. against the winner of Verdigris and Hartshorne, while a loss to Kansas Thursday would drop the Henryetta squad into an elimination game Thursday at 4 p.m. against the loser of Verdigris and Hartshorne.
In Tuesday's battle with Vian, the host Lady Wolverines opened the scoring with a run in the last of the second.
The Lady Knights took over the lead at 4-1 with four runs in the top of the third.
Vian tallied a run in each of the fourth and fifth innings to make it a 4-3 contest after five innings of action.
The Henryetta squad pushed across a run in the top of the sixth to increase their lead to 5-3.
The Lady Knights failed to add to their lead in the top of the seventh, sending the game into the bottom of the seventh with Henryetta clinging to a 5-3 advantage.
In the final half-inning of regulation, Henryetta pitcher Avery Miller got the first hitter to ground out to third. The next three hitters reached base on a single, a hit batter, and an RBI single to make it a 5-4 contest. A one-out walk loaded the bases for the Lady Wolverines and put the winning run in scoring position at second base.
The runners were left stranded on the basepaths with a strikeout and groundout back to Miller to end the contest with the Lady Knights on the winning end of a 5-4 outcome.
Miller went the distance in the circle to earn the pitching win for Henryetta. The freshman hurler gave up four runs - 2 earned - on eight hits in seven innings of work. Miller struck out eight, walked one, and hit a batter in the complete-game win.
The Lady Knights scattered seven hits in the contest, led by Miller (2 for 4, single, double) and Jalynn Joslin (2 for 4, 2 singles, RBI) with two hits apiece.
The other base hits for Henryetta came on RBI singles by Kasedi Gobin, Lexi Lollis, and Kaylie Hamric.
Other baserunners for the Lady Knights against Vian were Gobin (walk), Miller (fielder's choice), Hamric (error), Brittani Hembree (2 walks), Hulleah Wincle (RBI fielder's choice, error), Katelyn Dwiggins (error), and Jenifer Denton (fielder's choice).
