Stewart lowers the boom on Woodward

In a must-win game of sorts, Kingfisher softball coach Morgan Dutton handed the ball to her freshman pitcher.

And Kennedy Stewart delivered once again.

Stewart allowed just two hits on Thursday while shutting out Woodward in a 4-0 home win for the Lady Jackets.

It wrapped up their regular season at 23-7 overall and gave them a 7-5 mark in the ultra-tough District 4A-3.

That’s good for third place and a more favorable regional district draw than the one that awaits the Boomers, who were thrust down into fourth place.

The win came two nights after a heartbreaking loss for KHS on senior night.

With a district runner- up finish within grasp, the Lady Jackets were dealt a 4-0 defeat by Bethany.

That game was scoreless going into the top of the seventh before the Lady Bronchos finally cracked the Stewart code and pieced together enough hits to plate some runs.

And it was two weeks ago that Woodward had dealt the Lady Jackets a defeat as they scored in the bottom of the eighth for a 2-1 win in extra innings.

That meant Kingfisher needed to win by two runs to secure third place on Thursday.

The home team got one of them in the second inning when Addison Johnson walked, advanced to second on a ground, to third on an error and scored on a passed ball.

CallieBlairgavetheLady Jackets that much-needed second run in the fourth when her RBI groundout pushed home Kinlee East.

Stewart, who has turned into the team’s ace, made sure that was enough.

She gave up a triple and hit a batter in the first inning, but her defense got her out of the jam when Reese Roof started a double play. Woodward didn’t get another hit until the sixth inning, a one-out single.

Stewart coaxed a groundout and popup to get out of that frame.

Then came the insurance in the bottom half of the inning.

Errors allowed East to get to third base with one out and the junior scored on Johnson’s single.

Johnson advanced on a hit by Shelby Davis and yet another Woodward error its sixth of the game - and then scored with Liliana Garramone’s groundout.

The game ended with a double play as Johnson snagged a line drive at third and doubled up the runner at first.

Stewart struck out two and walked one in the game.

KHS had just two hits itself, those by Johnson and Davis.

After back-to-back losses - one to eventual district champ Elk City and the other the extra-inning affair at Woodward - KHS closed out the regular season winning four of its last five.

Stewart was the winning pitcher in each of those victories.

“The amount that she has matured mentally in the circle has been a game changer for us,” Dutton said.

How big was Thursday’s win?

With the third place finish, KHS lands in a regional at Plainview.

The host team finished as runner-up in District 4A-4, is 22-7 overall and was 9-3 in the district.

KHS will play Pauls Valley in the regional opener. Pauls Valley was sixth in 4A-2.

There will not be a fourth team in the district.

The loss sent Woodward into the regional at Lone Grove, which was the 4A-4 winner. Lone Grove is considered a top contender for the state title with its 29-3 overall mark and perfect 12-0 district record.