(Cushing, Okla.) With an unseasonal rainfall Monday canceling the opening games for 4th year head Coach Chad Short and his charges, the lady tigers traveled to Perry Tuesday evening to begin their 2013 softball campaign. This season could prove to be very challenging for the coaches as the lady tigers return only 4 starters from their regional runner up team of 2012. Joining Coach Short and his assistants DeShea Ladd and Lonnie Schuler this year will be CHS’s new assistant baseball coach Dustin White.
With rain clouds on the horizon the games got underway at 5 pm Tuesday evening with Cushing’s senior 2nd baseman and the 2012 Tulsa 7 Conference’s “Defensive Player of the Year”,Tristyn Short leading off with a slap grounder to the shortstop.
The game remained a scoreless defensive struggle until sophomore right fielder Kayley Walters popped a fly over her Perry counterpart in right field, moving to 2nd on Short’s sacrifice bunt and scoring when Cushing sophomore shortstop Hannah Ailey put a hard hit grounder through the Perry defense. Ailey moved to 3rd as junior left fielder Mikaela Weaver followed up with a drive of her own through the middle. Ailey scored on junior catcher Morgan McGrew’s sacrifice fly to deep center giving the tigers a 2-0 lead thru 3 innings.
Kayla Vasquez got the 4th inning started as she drew a base on balls moving to 2nd on sophomore left fielder Mariah Treat’s sacrifice bunt and scoring when senior center fielder Jessica Niccum’s hot grounder forced Perry’s sure handed shortstop Williams to mishandle the ball, giving the tigers a 3-0 cushion. Perry got on the scoreboard in their half of the 4th when Patton opened with a double and scored on Taylor’s single to make the score 3-1 Cushing after 4.
Weaver opened the 5th with a single moving to second on McGrews single and both moving into scoring position on senior first baseman Kira Cox’s sacrifice bunt. Weaver scored on Walter’s single to center. Perry responded with a run of their own in their half of the 5th to make the score 4-2 Cushing. Neither team mounted an offense in the 6th as Kira Cox opened the 7th and final inning with a base on balls followed by a Walter’s single and a base on balls to outfielder Treat to load the bases. Niccum followed with a long single to right center allowing Cox and Walters to score and moving Treat to 3rd who then scored on Ailey’s single to left.
Perry tried to mount a come back scoring 3 runs in the bottom of the 7th and leaving the bases loaded before the tiger defense could snuff the rally. Sophomore Josie Hood got the pitching win for Cushing striking out 3 and her first win as a Cushing High School varsity pitcher walking only 1. The final score had Cushing tigers 7 Perry Maroons 5.
Cushing and Perry’s JV teams were able to play 4 innings before the rains moved in. Junior Hailea Johnson was in the circle for Cushing.
Next up for Cushing will be their annual Fall Classic, beginning Thursday August 15th at 5 pm at the Cushing Sports Complex with 8 teams participating in a round robin pool play format.
