Lady Titans find success at Choctaw/Carl Albert Festival
Carl Albert’s AJ Bennett tries to tag Mustang’s Raegan Hodde Saturday afternoon. Photo by Jeff Harrison
By Jeff Harrison
Midwest City Beacon
Carl Albert’s softball team had a strong showing at its home festival last week, winning three of four games against tough competition.
The Lady Titans knocked off Class 6A powers Edmond Santa Fe, Deer Creek and Norman North before falling to Mustang in the Choctaw/Carl Albert Festival.
“We played well all weekend,” said Carl Albert coach Roland Baza. “We had good swings, played good defense and pitched well. Seeing some of that 6A competition is good for us as we get ready for the playoffs.”
Carl Albert (12-7) opened with a 7-4 win over Edmond Santa Fe. The Lady Titans jumped out to a fast start with RBI hits from Alexis Miller, Bailey Rusche and Addalyn Smith in the first inning.
Journey LaValley added an RBI triple and AJ Bennett hit a run-scoring double in the second. Kynlee Sutton earned the win in the circle, striking out four.
The most dramatic win came Thursday against Deer Creek. The game went into international tiebreaker rules in the seventh inning. After the Lady Antlers scored, Carl Albert answered when
Addisyn Pursell belted a walk-off, inside-the-park homer to give her team a 2-1 win.
“My team needed me in that moment,” Pursell said. “I just went up there, stayed calm, found my pitch and was able to score two.”
Baza said that type of game is exactly the preparation his team needs.
“We treated this festival like a dress rehearsal for hosting a regional tournament,” he said. “You have to be able to come back after a loss and win again. That’s what we were able to do.”
Carl Albert stumbled against one of the state’s top teams Saturday morning, falling 8-0 to Mustang. Bennett had a triple in the loss. The Lady Titans bounced back with a 5-2 win over Norman North, highlighted by RBIs from Bennett, Miller, Sutton and Pursell. Sutton allowed just two runs on four hits in the victory.
Earlier in the week, Carl Albert also earned a 14-4 district win over Guthrie behind big bats from Kinsley Flynn (3-for-4, 4 RBIs) and Avery McNair (2 hits).
The Lady Titans will travel to Midwest City on Thursday night in a clash for first place in District 5A-2.
