CLAREMORE TUNES UP FOR PLAYOFFS AT NSU

It was a case of The Good, The Bad, and The Not So Pretty. Thoare are the results for Claremore after taking part in three games Friday over a seven and half hour span. The games were played at the Northeastern State University high school softball tournament. The black and white clad Zebra squad started the first day of autumn off with a morning 4-1 victory over Sallisaw. Despite a beautiful sunny day overhead, thing turned cloudy during back-to-back afternoon losses to Piedmont, 8-4, and Moore, 6-2. The Zebra-Sallisaw 10 a.m. pairing opened the two-day festival at the NSU Riverhawks softball diamond on the east side of the park-like campus. Claremore 4, Sallisaw 1 — THE GOOD…Pitcher Zowie Davis scattered five base hits and Rylee Vanaman knocked in three runs as Claremore could do nothing wrong during the six-inning morning contest. Forced to make an extra early departure to arrive for the morning start, the Zebras were wide awake in time for the opening pitch. Batting leadoff, Alexis Williams watched it and three others to start the game with a base on balls. Four Zebra hitters later, she scored the day’s first run on a delayed double steal attempt. A pair of bunted singles and two sacrifice bunts allowed the “home team” Lady Black Diamonds to tie the score 1-1 in their half of the inning. It would be their only run. Davis allowed two doubles and a single over the next five innings. Two errors also put Sallisaw runners on base. Regardless of the situation Davis remained cool and got the outs that were needed. It was Vanaman’s second inning single that put Claremore on top to stay. It came with two outs after Lauren Peeler walked and Terran Schornick was hit by a pitch. In the top of the sixth, Vanaman was responsible for an insurance run. Schornick singled and advanced to third when Williams was safe at first due to an infield error. Vanaman followed with a grounder to the right side of the infield. The Sallisaw fielder threw home to prevent the extra run, but Schornick slid across the plate under the catcher’s tag. Knowing the time limit had expired and the sixth inning would be the final one, Davis and her defenders still needed three outs. A bullet across the infield from third baseman Schornick to Kaleigh Schumacher at first base produced the first one. Sallisaw’s Savanna Pitts delayed things with a double to left-center. Then the newest member of the team, Peeler, a sophomore transfer from Broken Arrow, claimed the final two outs with fly ball catches in right field. Piedmont 8, Claremore 5 — THE BAD…The final score spread made it look better than the actual action taking place on the field. Claremore fell behind seven runs before getting one itself. Five fielding errors were just as costly as the eight base hits the Lady Wildcats added up. Located the side of Oklahoma City, Piedmont showed no road weariness. After jumping out to a quick one run edge in the first inning, Piedmont roared back with four more in the second. Not content with that total, the Wildcats added two more runs in the third inning and one in the fourth. While the opponent was increasing its lead in each frame, the Claremore batting order went down 1-2-3 in each of the first three innings. Williams broke the spell with a single that dropped between the left fielder and third baseman. This started the fourth inning and a three run rally for the Zebras. While errors helped Piedmont to score a run, the reverse also occurred. Claremore’s rally included only Williams’ hit. Two errors on the other side aided Claremore’s run total. Williams used her single and a later throwing error to move around to third base. Vanaman, attempting to sacrifice Williams home, put down a bunt to the first base side. The ball was fielded and fired to the catcher, but Williams was safe in a cloud of dust at home plate as she got in under the tag. Vanaman and Kayla Shisler, on base due to the second error, also scored as Hannah Rackleff and Davis were thrown out at first base. A Holland Rader double accounted for Claremore’s two runs in the fifth. Peeler walked, Williams singled for her second hit, and Shisler also walked to load the bases to set the stage for Rader. With two outs, she delivered with a double to score the lead runners while Shisler was limited to third. Moore 6, Claremore 2 — THE NOT SO PRETTY…If the noon delay hurt the Zebras in the second game, an immediate restart for the third game didn’t help either. The Lady Lions grabbed a four-run edge in the first inning and never looked back. As earlier, missed catches and errant throws by Zebra defenders didn’t help things. Moore’s early runs were the result of two base hits and a pair throwing errors. Three hits led to a second-inning run and a double pushed home another in the third. Claremore, limited to lone singles in the first two innings, couldn’t build up steam until the third. This time it was Shisler delivering a two-run double. The Zebras were behind 5-0 when Schornick led off with a single to center. Williams, back to the top of the lineup, was hit by a pitch. Vanaman was next and her sacrifice bunt advanced both teammates. Suddenly Claremore was right back in the game. Shisler’s hard hit ball split two outfielders and Schornick and Williams scored without drawing a throw. A strikeout left Shisler at second. Two more Zebras reached base during the next two frames but they would also remain fastened at first. Schumacher walked with one out in the fourth and Shisler did the same with two away in the fifth.

CLAREMORE TUNES UP FOR PLAYOFFS AT NSU

Photo Credit: Claremore High School Athletics

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