VERDIGRIS - The Henryetta Lady Knight fast-pitch softball team had their dreams of a state tournament appearance end with an 8-1 loss to the host Verdigris Lady Cardinals.

The season-ending loss came in the first (of a possible 2) championship game of the Class 3ARegion 5 regional tournament.

The Lady Knights (26-10) began their regional tournament action last Thursday with a 6-0 victory over the Kansas Lady Comets, then dropped an 11-1, run-rule, decision to the host Verdigris Lady Cardinals in the winner's bracket finals last Thursday evening.

The run-rule loss to Verdigris dropped the Henryetta squad into the loser's bracket finals last Friday against the Hartshorne Lady Miners, who kept their season alive with a 13-9 win over Kansas in the loser's bracket first round contest last Thursday after suffering an 8-1 loss to Verdigris in last Thursday's regional tournament opener.

Last Friday's season-ending loss to Verdigris also brought to a close the high school fastpitch softball careers for seniors Brittani Hembree and Jenifer Denton.

In last Thursday's opening-round showdown with Kansas, the Henryetta offense broke a scoreless game with a run in the bottom of the third. The Lady Knights doubled their lead to 2-0 with a run in the home half of the fourth, then put the game out of reach with a 4-run bottom of sixth.

The Henryetta defense kept the Lady Comets off the scoreboard in the top of the seventh to walk away with the 6-0 victory.

Avery Miller went the distance in the circle for Henryetta to earn the pitching win. The freshman hurler allowed just four hits, while striking out eight and hitting a batter in seven innings of work.

The Lady Knights scattered 11 hits in the contest, led by the trio of Denton (2 for 3, 2 singles), Jalynn Joslin (2 for 4, 2 singles), and Kasedi Gobin (2 for 2, 2 singles, 2 RBIs) with two hits apiece.

The other five base hits for the HHS squad came on a single by Hembree and RBI singles by Miller, Hulleah Wincle, Lexi Lollis, and Kaylie Hamric.

Other baserunners for Henryetta in the opener were Gobin (walk), Miller (2 walks), Hembree (walk), Lollis (fielder's choice), and Katelyn Dwiggins (2 errors).

In the winner's bracket finals loss to Verdigris, the lone HHS run came in the top of the second.

Verdigris responded with two runs in the home half of the second, then added five in the third, one in the fourth, and three in the fifth to hand the Lady Knights the 11-1, run-rule, loss.

Miller was saddled with the pitching loss for Henryetta, allowing nine runs (4 earned) on eight hits, striking out two and hitting three in four-plus innings of work. Gobin took over with a runner on first, no outs, and a 2-1 count in the fifth. Gobin gave up two runs (1 earned) on two hits with one walk and one hit batter, facing five batters and did not record an out in the relief appearance.

Joslin (2 for 3, 2 singles, RBI) led the offensive attack for the Lady Knights with two base hits.

The other hits recorded for Henryetta in the loss came on singles by Dwiggins, Hamric, and Hembree and a double by Miller.

Gobin was the only other baserunner for the Lady Knights against Verdigris, reaching on an error in the first.

In the loser's bracket finals against Hartshorne, the Henryetta squad got the scoring started with a run in the bottom of the second.

Hartshorne plated a run in the top of the fourth to tie the score at 1-1.

The Lady Knights regained the lead at 4-1 with three runs in the home half of the fourth.

After a scoreless fifth, both teams tallied a run in their half of the sixth to make it a 5-2 advantage for Henryetta.

Hartshorne pushed across three runs in the top of the seventh to tie the score at 5-5 and the Lady Knights loaded the bases with two outs in the last of the inning, but failed to tally the game-winning run in the frame to send the game to extra innings with the score deadlocked at 5-5.

After the Henryetta defense kept the Lady Miners off the scoreboard in the top of the eighth, the Lady Knights scored the game-winning run with no outs in the bottom of the inning to keep their season alive with the 6-5 victory.

In the bottom of the eighth, Emily Smith led off the inning with a walk. Jalynn Joslin followed with a bunt single with both runners advancing one base on a defensive miscue on the bunt. Smith came in to score the game-winning run when Katelyn Dwiggins singled past the second baseman.

Miller went the distance in the circle for Henryetta to earn the pitching win. The 'rookie' pitcher gave up five runs on 10 hits with eight strikeouts and two walks in eight innings of work.

The top hitter for the Lady Knights against Hartshorne was Joslin, who went 4 for 5 with three singles, a double, and 2 RBIs. Dwiggins (2 for 4, 2 singles, RBI) and Hulleah Wincle (2 for 3, 2 singles) also recorded multi-hit games with two hits apiece. The other base hits for Henryetta came on singles by Gobin, Miller, and Lollis and an RBI single by Hamric.

The other baserunners for the Lady Knights against Hartshorne were Miller (walk), Wincle (walk), Denton (2 walks), Smith (walk, error), and Lollis (fielder's choice).

In the championship game against Verdigris, the lone Henryetta run came in the top of the sixth.

Verdigris opened the scoring with three runs in the bottom of the first, then addded a run in the fourth, three in the fifth, and one in the sixth to its 8-run total.

Miller was saddled with the pitching loss for Henryetta in the season-ending setback, allowing eight runs on 11 hits with six strikeouts, three walks, and one hit batter in six innings of work. Four of the five base hits for the Lady Knights against Verdigris came on singles by Joslin, Gobin, Hamric, and Denton and an RBI single by Miller. The other baserunners in the season finale were Miller, Dwiggins, and Denton - all on fielder's choices. ---Class 3A Regional Tournament First Game Henryetta 6, Kansas 0 Kansas -0-0-0-0-0-0-00- 4-2 Henryetta-0-0-1-1-0-4-x 6-11-1 Winning Pitcher: Avery Miller Losing Pitcher: Bird Home Runs: None ---Winner's Bracket Finals Verdigris 11, Henryetta 1 Henryetta-0-1-0-0-0 1- 6-2 Verdigris-0-2-5-1-3 11-10-1 Winning Pitcher: Shawnee Losing Pitcher: Avery Miller Home Runs: Verdigris: Turner, Gibson ---Loser's Bracket Finals Henryetta 6, Hartshorne 5; 8 innings Hartshorne-0-0-0-1-0-1-3-0 5-10 - 3 Henryetta -0-1-0-3-0-1-0-1 6-12 - 0 No outs when winning run scored Winning Pitcher: Avery Miller Losing Pitcher: Sirmans Home Runs: Hartshorne: Sensibaugh, Kitchell ---Championship #1 Verdigris 8, Henryetta 1 Henryetta-0-0-0-0-0-1-0 1- 5-0 Verdigris -3-0-0-1-3-1-x 8-11-0 Winning Pitcher: Gibson Losing Pitcher: Avery Miller Home Runs: None