The Preston Lady Pirates ended their first week of fastpitch softball action with four decisive victories to sit at 5-0 on the young 2023 campaign.

After beginning the 2023 season last Tuesday with a 12-0 victory over Wilburton, the Lady Pirates handed the Pawhuska Lady Huskies a 10-0 defeat last Thursday in Preston’s District 2A-13 opener at the Jim Waller Sports Complex in Preston for their second win of 2023.

The Preston diamond squad traveled to Beggs this past Friday for two games at the annual Beggs Fastpitch Softball Festival, defeating Owasso’s JV by an 18-6 margin and blanking the Holdenville Lady Wolverines 9-0 to complete the 2-game festival sweep.

The Lady Pirates ended the week this past Saturday with a 15-0 rout of the Okemah Lady Panthers in Preston.

The Preston diamond squad returned to action Monday with a home meeting against Mannford and were also at home on Tues- day, hosting Okmulgee County rival, the Henryetta Lady Knights. The Lady Pirates will end this week’s scheduled action Thursday at the Rogers State University Festival in Claremore and Friday and Saturday at the Okmulgee Fastpitch Softball Festival.

In last Thursday’s district opener against Pawhuska, the Lady Pirates opened the scoring with two runs in the bottom of the first. The Preston squad added four in the second and four in the fifth for the 10-0, run-rule, victory.

The Preston offensive production was led by the quartet of Taylan Starr (2 for 2, 2 triples, RBI, 2 hit by pitches), Emilie Stidman (2 for 3, single, triple, 2 RBIs, walk), Kristen Holuby (2 for 2, single, double), and Celeste Pineda (2 for 3, single, double, RBI) with two hits apiece.

The final Lady Pirate base hit in the district win came on a single by Aiyanna Beaver. Other baserunners against Pawhuska were Beaver (walk), Josie Cope (walk), and Jaiden Harley (walk).

Beaver drove in one of the four Preston runs in the bottom of the second with an RBI sacrifice bunt, while Cope drove in a run in the first on a sacrifice fly and Kinlee Basquez had an RBI groundout in the fifth for the victorious Lady Pirates.

Starr was awarded the pitching win for Preston last Thursday, striking out 10 and walking one in five innings of 1-hit, shutout, work.

In last Friday’s battle with the Owasso JV at the Beggs Festival, the Lady Pirates erupted for 12 runs in the top of the first.

The Owasso JV broke up the shutout bid with two runs in the bottom of the third, while the Preston squad put the finishing touches on their 18-run performance with six runs in the top of the fourth.

The Owasso JV plated four runs in the last of the fourth to make the final outcome, 18-6, in favor of the Preston Lady Pirates.

The top offensive performer for the Lady Pirates in the run-rule victory was Taylan Starr, who finished 4 for 4 at the plate with two singles, two doubles, and 2 RBIs.

Josie Cope was next in the offensive column for the Preston diamond squad, finishing 2 for 3 with a double, home run, and 3 RBIs. Cope’s roundtripper came on a 3-run blast in the 12-run first inning. Cope also reached base on a walk and a defensive miscue in the contest.

Other Lady Pirate players with multi-hit games against the Owasso JV were Mazie Flud (2 for 4, 2 singles, 3 RBIs), Jaiden Harley (2 for 3, 2 singles), Celeste Pineda (2 for 3, single, double, 3 RBIs), and Kinlee Basquez (2 for 4, single, double) with two hits apiece. Flud drove in one of the six runs in the fourth with an RBI sacrifice fly.

The final three Preston base hits against the Lady Rams’ JV came on a single by Na’Braijhanae Phillips, RBI single by Emile Stidman, and 2-run double by Kristen Holuby.

Other Lady Pirate baserunners in the run-rule win were Stidman (walk, fielder’s choice, error), Phillips (walk), Holuby (2 walks), Harley (walk), Pineda (walk), and Alynn LeBlanc (hit by pitch).

Basquez earned the pitching win for the Preston squad, allowing six runs on 10 hits with four strikeouts in four innings of work.

In Friday’s festival game against Holdenville, the Lady Pirates began the scoring with two runs in the home half of the first.

The score remained at 2-0, in favor of Preston, until the bottom of the fourth when the Preston offense erupted for seven runs in the frame for a 9-0 advantage.

The Preston defense kept the Lady Wolverines off the scoreboard in the top of the fifth to put the finishing touches on the shutout victory for the Lady Pirates.

Na’Braijhanae Phillips (2 for 2, single, double, 2 RBIs) and Josie Cope (2 for 3, 2 singles, RBI) led the way offensively for Preston in the shutout win with two hits each. One of Phillips’ 2 RBIs came on an RBI sacrifice fly in the first.

The other Preston base hits against Holdenville came on a single by Taylan Starr, RBI single by Kristen Holuby, RBI double by Mazie Flud, and 2-run double by Kinlee Basquez.

Other Lady Pirate baserunners in the run-rule win were Flud (walk), Cope (error), Holuby (error), Emilie Stidman (2 walks, error), and Jaiden Harley (RBI fielder’s choice).

Starr went the distance in the circle for Preston to earn the pitching win. The right-hander struck out nine in a five-inning no-hit performance.

In Saturday’s home battle with Okemah, the Lady Pirates did all of their scoring in the first two innings, including 10 runs in the last of the first.

The Preston defense kept the visiting Lady Panthers off the scoreboard in the first three innings to walk away with the 15-0, run-rule, victory after two and one-half innings of action.

Taylan Starr was the top hitter for the Lady Pirates in Saturday’s blowout win, finishing 2 for 2 with two doubles and an RBI.

The other three Preston base hits on Saturday came on a single by Josie Cope, 3-run triple by Kinlee Basquez, and Grand Slam home run by Na’Braijhanae Phillips. Phillips’ roundtripper came in the 5-run second.

Other baserunners against Okemah were Phillips (walk, fielder’s choice), Cope (walk, hit by pitch), Basquez (walk), Mazie Flud (hit by pitch, RBI walk), Jaiden Harley (RBI hit by pitch), and Celeste Pineda (RBI walk).

The other two hitters in the Lady Pirates’ starting lineup on Saturday Emilie Stidman and Kristen Holuby did not record an official at-bat in the contest, earning walks in each of their three plate appearances.

Cope earned the pitching win for Preston on Saturday, allowing no runs on one hit with one walk and seven strikeouts in three innings of work.

— Thursday, August 10 Preston 10, Pawhuska 0

Pawhuska:0-0-0-0-0 0-1-0 Preston: 2-4-0-0-4 10-9-1 WP: Taylan Starr LP: Lookout HR: None — Beggs Festival (August 11) Preston 18, Owasso JV 6

Preston: 12 – 0 – 0 – 6 18 – 17 – 1 Owasso JV: 0 – 0 – 2 – 4 6 – 10 – 4 WP: Kinlee Basquez LP: Kesterson HR: Josie Cope — Preston 9, Holdenville 0

Holdenville:0-0-0-0-0 0-0-3 Preston: 2-0-0-7-x9-8-1 WP: Taylan Starr LP: Grull HR: None — Saturday, August 12 Preston 15, Okemah 0

Okemah:0-0-0 0-1-0 Preston: 10 – 5 – x 15 – 5 – 1 WP: Josie Cope LP: Berryhill HR: Preston: Na’Braijhanae Phillips