Big Elk Hunting

Down to their final out - their final strike even the Kingfisher Lady Jackets still found a way to grab their biggest win of the season.

KHS scored a pair of runs with two outs in the top of the seventh, then Lily Voth retired her opponents in order in the bottom half of the frame to earn a 2-1 victory at Elk City.

The loss was Elk City’s first of the season. It entered the game with a 13-0 mark.

For KHS, it avenged a 7-2 loss to the Elkettes the week before.

In that contest, Elk City jumped out to a 7-0 lead before KHS tacked on a pair of late runs.

This time around, Voth wasn’t allowing her hosts to gain much of an advantage.

The freshman righthander gave up just four hits over seven innings.

She struck out four and walked one batter.

Elk City’s lone run came in the bottom of the third inning when it collected half of its total hits.

Jacee Baker led off the inning with a single, then moved to second on a sacrifi ce bunt by Ragan Hulen.

Baker scored on Ella Sottile’s single to make it 1-0.

Voth got out of the inning with a pair of groundouts.

She allowed just one more hit the rest of the game.

However, KHS was still struggling to figure out Elk City’s Aubrie Pogue.

She had a shutout going into the seventh inning.

Voth immediately put the Lady Jackets in business as she led off with a double.

A line out and groundout later found Voth at third base, but with two outs.

Adlee Friesen worked the count full, then on ball four the pitch got by Elk City’s catcher, allowing courtesy runner Shelby Willson to score and tie the game.

After Liliana Garramone drew another walk, Kinlee East punched one back up the middle that was mishandled by the Elkettes’ second baseman.

Friesen initially held up at third, but an errant throw home allowed her to score and give KHS a 2-1 lead.

That was enough for Voth, who got a fly out, ground out and line out to end the game.

Voth needed just 79 pitches for her complete- game effort. Fifty of them were for strikes.

Pogue, who walked five Lady Jackets and gave up six hits while striking out five, was forced to throw 120 pitches.

Kingfisher’s five other hits came from Friesen, Addison Johnson, Addison Willson, Addy Brueggen and Reese Roof.

•••

There didn’t prove to be a letdown Thursday as KHS went on the road to down Clinton 16-0 in six innings.

After working through three scoreless innings, the Lady Jackets’ bats woke up as they scored three in the third, broke it open with four in the fifth, then wide open with nine in the sixth.

KHS pounded out 14 hits, led by East’s 3-for-4 showing.

The sophomore drove in three runs and scored three as well.

Johnson and Addison Willson had two hits apiece. Willson also had 2 RBIs.

Ten different Lady Jackets had a hit in the game.

Voth again took the circle and again threw a gem.

She gave up just two hits and struck out seven in the six-inning shutout.

The victory vaulted Kingfisher to second place in the District 4A-1 with its 4-2 mark.

Weatherford, which toppled Elk City 5-4 on Thursday, sits atop the district with a 5-1 mark. That lone loss is to Kingfisher.

Woodward is also currently 4-2 while Elk City is 3-2.

Kingfisher’s overall mark is 16-3.

The Lady Jackets host Chisholm Monday in a non-district game, then travel to Weatherford on Tuesday and to Bethany on Thursday. Bethany beat KHS 15-2 in the season opener.