Lady Titans pick up two wins on opening day
Carl Albert’s Londyn McNair drives the ball during a game against Edmond Memorial. Photo by Jeff Harrison
By Jeff Harrison
Midwest City Beacon
Opening day came with two wins for Carl Albert’s softball team.
The Lady Titans took down Tahlequah and Pryor in a doubleheader on Aug. 7.
Shelby Rusche hit two home runs and Ausha Moore added another in a 14-1 win over Tahlequah in game one.
“The girls came out the gate swinging the bats led by Kaylee Davis, Ausha Moore, and Shelby Rusche,” said coach Garrett Wages. “I was super pumped to see them fly around and swing it well.”
Freshman pitcher Madison Ethridge allowed one run and three hits in her varsity debut. She also notched four strikeouts in three innings for the win.
Kaylee Davis went 3 for 3 with a double and Shelby Rusche drove in seven runs.
Carl Albert took control early with four runs in the first inning. Shelby Rusche hit her first homer – a three-run blast to center. Marrick Collier later scored on a grounder by Ariana Harmon.
Moore added a two-run homer in the second inning. Shelby Rusche rounded out the scoring with a grand slam in the third for the 14-1 win.
The Lady Titans followed with a 5-2 win over Pryor in game two.
Carl Albert saw two leads disappear before pulling ahead for good in the seventh inning. Moore broke a 2-2 tie with an RBI single to score Davis. They scored another off an error and Harmon drove in the final run with a sacrifice fly.
The Lady Titans turned a double play in the bottom half of the inning to end the game.
Shelby Rusche had two hits to lead the team.
Freshman Kynlee Sutton earned the win in her first varsity start. She allowed one earned run on four hits and three walks.
“I was proud of our girls for scoring first in that game, fighting through some adversity after losing the lead, and finding a way to win that ballgame,” Wages said. “I was super thrilled for freshman pitcher Kynlee Sutton to get her first high school win against a great program like Pryor.”
The Carl Albert girls suffered their first loss of the year Thursday night with a 3-1 setback against defending Class 6A state champion Edmond Memorial.
“I was super proud of how the girls fought. I think we squandered a few chances on the base paths that cost us that game, but I was super proud of how our girls battled,” Wages said.
The Lady Bulldogs scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth for the win.
Bennett drove in the Lady Titans’ only run of the night with an RBI single in the fourth. That tied the game at 1-1. Carl Albert had a chance to take the lead with runners at second and third, but
Memorial got a strikeout for the third out.
The Lady Titans stranded two runners in the fifth inning.
Memorial took the lead with three straight hits in the sixth inning.
Sutton took the loss after allowing two runs in two innings. Ethridge started the game and allowed one run on four hits with two strikeouts.
“Madison Ethridge and Kynlee Sutton both threw it extremely well,” Wages said. “They gave us a chance to win that ballgame. We have to do a better job at the plate whenever we are in situations to score runs.”
Carl Albert hosted Santa Fe South for a doubleheader on Monday, and Piedmont on Tuesday. They return to action Aug. 22 at El Reno.
