KHS walk-off win delivers Highway 33 title

It was another step in a positive direction for the Kingfisher softball program last weekend.

A wild final play saw Kendall Farrar score from second base on Saturday to give KHS a 5-4 walkoff victory over Newcastle in the Highway 33 Classic Tournament.

The win was Kingfisher’s ninth straight as it improved to 11-1 on the season.

This win, however, meant more than a repeat championship trophy for the Lady Jackets.

“Newcastle is in our class and is someone that we could matchup with in regionals,” said coach Morgan Dutton. “This win is something we can build on as we get going with district play.”

But Newcastle isn’t just in Kingfisher’s class. The Lady Racers are near-annual contenders in 4A.

They missed last year’s state tournament by one game, but won the 2023 state championship.

Newcastle has three titles in fastpitch, all since 2014.

Like Kingfisher, Newcastle went unbeaten in its pool leading up to Saturday.

The Racers then got out to a 2-0 lead on KHS before the home team rattled off four runs in the bottom of the fourth.

But the lead didn’t stick.

Newcastle managed a run in the fifth and tied it with an unearned run in the sixth.

It stayed 4-4 until the bottom of the seventh when Adlee Friesen led off with a single. She was advanced on Reese Roof’s sacrifice bunt. The Racers then intentionally walked Farrar and Kinlee East to load the bases and set up a force at any base.

That sent Addison Johnson to the plate.

The sophomore laid down a bunt, but Newcastle was able to touch home before Friesen scored.

However, when the Racers tried to also get Johnson at first, the throwing error allowed Farrar, who started the play on second base, to score the winning run.

That gave the win to Kinlee East, who pitched two innings of relief.

She allowed an unearned run and two hits while striking out three.

Kynlee Brunson pitched the first five innings, surrendered three earned runs and six hits.

Friesen, East and Callie Blair had two hits apiece for KHS.

It was the kind of win Dutton, in her third season, and the Lady Jackets have been building toward.

“I do feel like we are taking steps in the right direction,” she said. “We are winning games we would not have won two years ago.”

The Lady Jackets completed their run through pool play on Friday with wins of 10-0 against Watonga and 5-1 over Edmond North. They beat Chisholm 4-2 on Thursday to open the tournament.

East pitched all five innings in downing the Huskies. The junior righthander only surrendered four hits and struck out four.

She didn’t give up a run until there were two outs in the fifth.

By that time KHS had put the game away, which included plating four runs in the top half of that inning.

Friesen led off the frame with a double and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Roof’s sacrifice fly pushed her home for a 2-0 lead.

Johnson made it 3-0 with an RBI hit and Shelby Davis iced it with her two-run double.

KHS got its initial run in the second when Liliana Garramone walked, advanced to third on a single by Blair and then scored on a throwing error.

Farrar and East both went 2 for 3 for the Lady Jackets, who had eight hits in the game.

The Lady Jackets needed just three innings to dispose of Watonga earlier in the day.

Ten different Lady Jackets had one hit apiece.

Brunson pitched three shutout innings, gave up two hits and struck out five batters.