Kelsi Hilton Makes All-State Softball Team

Kelsi Hilton take third base in a game against Moore.

Senior pitcher and infielder Kelsi Hilton has been named to the Oklahoma Fast Pitch Coaches Association (OFPCA) All-State team, marking the sixth consecutive year a Sandite has received the honor. She is the 50th all-time selection from Sand Springs.

Hilton batted .430 this season with a .550 slugging average and .468 on-base percentage, hitting six doubles and two home runs to score 30 runs and 19 RBI.

Morgan Rector catches a fly ball in a game against Moore.

She committed only three errors on the season while playing shortstop and third base in addition to her time in the circle where she went 5-4 with a 5.4 ERA, striking out nearly 20% of the batters she faced. She also pitched a perfect game on Senior Night against Booker T. Washington.

Hilton is committed to playing at Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Oklahoma, an NCAA Division II program competing in the Great American Conference.

Hilton was also named to the All-District 6A-2 and All-Region 14-East teams.

Senior outfielder Morgan Rector also was named to the All-Region team and junior pitcher Addison Hughes was named to the All-District team.

Addison Hughes pitches in a game against Moore.

Lakelyn Harger, Bella Wilson, Kenzie King, Rector, and Kaylei Rake all received All-District Honorable Mentions.

The Sandites went 19-15 overall this season, falling in the Regional finals at Edmond Memorial.

Sandites End Season in Regional Finals, Fall 5-2 to Edmond Memorial

Kylie King drove in both Sandite runs with a double in the 5-2 loss.

Sand Springs matched up well against Edmond Memorial at the plate but third inning mistakes were the difference maker as the defending State Champions prevailed 5-2 to end the Sandites’ season Friday afternoon in the Regional tournament finals.

Memorial (26-9) took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first on a home run from Beth Damon, but the Bulldogs did most of their damage in the third when two walks and two errors put the home team up 4-0.

Chenna Davidson scored her team’s fifth and final run on a sacrifice hit after reaching base on a hit-by-pitch.

Sand Springs averted the shutout in the sixth with a pair of singles from Lakelyn Harger and Ashlyn Clark and a two-run double from Kylie King.

Kelsi Hilton ended her high school career stranded at first base on a seventh-inning single.

King (2-3) got the loss in the circle, surrendering four hits, one earned run, and two walks in four innings. Addison Hughes (12-7) got the start and allowed three hits and two walks with one strikeout in two innings.

Lilly Stephens got the start for the Bulldogs, throwing three hits, three walks, and two strikeouts in 4.1 innings but Keegan Baker got the win with four hits, no walks, and two strikeouts in 2.2 innings.

Charles Page High School wrapped up the season with a 19-15 mark. The girls will graduate four players this season: Morgan Rector, Hilton, Gracey Massey, and Natalia Delgado. The senior class of 2024 went 87-53 during its career.

Rector and Hilton will have compelling resumes for potential All-State accolades and Hilton is committed to playing at Southern Nazarene University next season.

Edmond Memorial will join Southmoore (21-11), Moore (31-3), Broken Arrow (30-3), Owasso (33-1), Edmond Deer Creek (25-6), Mustang (23-6), and Choctaw (22-10) at the 6A State Tournament on October 12th in Oklahoma City’s USA Hall of Fame Stadium Complex.

Sandites Go 1-1 at Regional Tournament, Will Rematch Edmond Memorial on Friday

Late-game heroics boosted the Charles Page High School softball team (19-14) to a 6-2 win over Stillwater (18-14) in the first round of the Regional Championship Thursday afternoon in Edmond.

After trailing 2-0 through four innings, the Sandites got hot and scored runs in each of the remaining innings to extend their season.

Calle Cox hit an RBI single in the third inning to put the Pioneers on the board and Jaelynn Wilhelm padded the lead with a double in the fourth, but those would be the only runs the Sandites surrendered.

Kenzie King walked in the top of the fifth and scored on a sacrifice hit from Kaylei Rake, then Bella Wilson brought in Ashlyn Clark with a two-out single to tie it up.

Kelsi Hilton led off the sixth with a double, took third on a sacrifice fly from Lakelyn Harger, and gave her team the lead on a single from Morgan Rector.

Wilson hit a one-out single in the seventh, took third on a double from Bailey Copeland, and scored on a single from Hilton. Harger added another RBI single to score Copeland and Hilton scored the final run of the game on a sacrifice hit from Rector.

Wilhelm drew a lead-off walk to give the Pioneers hope but was left stranded at third on Addison Hughes’s sixth strikeout of the night.

Hughes (12-7) went the distance in the circle, surrendering eight hits and two walks to go with her six strikeouts.

In the second game, however, the girls fell 11-3 to host Edmond Memorial (25-9), the defending State Champions.

Sand Springs led 2-0 through two innings after Rector’s two-run double in the bottom of the first, but the Bulldogs took the lead once and for all in the top of the third with four singles, a walk, and a double.

The Sandites loaded the bases with three singles and a walk in the bottom of the inning but only Hilton found her way home, on a single from Kenzie King.

Memorial exploded in the top of the fourth, scoring seven runs on seven hits, including a two-run homer by Keegan Baker.

Hilton (5-4) got the start and the loss in the circle, surrendering 14 hits and one walk. Kylie King closed out the game and allowed only two hits and one walk with four strikeouts.

Baker, a heavily recruited Division I prospect, allowed only five hits and four walks to the Sandites while striking out eight.

Sand Springs and Edmond Memorial will play again Friday at 11:00 a.m. If Sand Springs wins it’ll force an if-necessary game for the Regional title.

Sandite Softball Goes 1-1 at Bixby Festival, Ends Regular Season 18-13

LAkelyn Harger was 3-for-3 at the plate in the win over Pryor.

The Charles Page High School softball team (18-13) wrapped up yet another winning regular season Friday morning at the Bixby Festival, going 1-1 against a pair of 5A district champions.

Addison Hughes (11-7) pitched a gem against Pryor (14-19), striking out nine while allowing only two hits and two walks in the 2-0 win.

Sand Springs struggled to bring runners home, stranding two in the first and three in the second before a two-run triple from Ashlyn Clark put the Sandites on the board in the third inning.

They stranded two more to close the third and three in the fifth. The game ended on a time limit in the top of the sixth.

Lakelyn Harger was 3-for-3 at the plate with one run and Kenzie King was 1-of-2 with a run.

In the next game the girls fell 5-1 to Piedmont (30-3), the sixteenth consecutive win for the back-to-back defending State Champions.

Bella Wilson was the only Sandite to manage a hit against the Wildcats, going 2-for-3 at the plate and scoring the lone run on a wild pitch in the top of the fourth.

Kelsi Hilton (5-3) was credited with the loss, throwing six hits no walks, and two strikeouts in 3.1 innings. Kylie King also spent time in the circle, tossing five hits, one walk, and two strikeouts in 1.2 innings.

Sand Springs will return to action at Edmond Memorial for the Regional Championship next week.

Hughes & Hilton Pitch No-Hitter Against Bartlesville

Addison Hughes could have gone the distance for a solo no-hitter against Bartlesville (10-20), but in the seventh inning she gave up the circle so Kelsi Hilton could close out her final game on the home field.

The senior didn’t drop the ball, tossing two strikeouts to secure the 4-0 victory Tuesday on Teacher Night.

Hughes struck out ten for her tenth win of the season with what was nearly her third perfect game of the year. The only blemish was a fourth-inning hit-by-pitch. That runner was put out on the next at-bat with a 5-2 double-play by Lakelyn Harger.

The Sandites stranded five runners over the first three innings before Kenzie King scored on a passed ball. Hilton padded the lead with a solo homer in the fifth.

Kaylei Rake hit an RBI double in the sixth to bring home Savannah Ramsey, then scored the final run of the game on a single from Hilton.

Hilton and Kenzie King both went 3-of-4 at the plate while Kylie King was 2-of-3.

On Thursday the girls fell 2-1 to Collinsville (11-15) on the road.

Bailey Copeland tagged up to score the lone run on a line out by Harger in the top of the first, but the girls stranded two runners to end the inning.

A two-run homer from Brie Smith gave Collinsville the lead in the third inning and the Sandites were unable to even the score.

Ashlyn Clark and Hilton both went 2-of-3 at the plate as the Sandites tallied seven hits.

Hughes (10-7) took the loss, surrendering five hits and two walks with six strikeouts in 2.2 innings. Hilton closed out the game and struck out six with one hit and no walks.

Sand Springs will wrap up the regular season Friday morning at the Bixby festival with back-to-back games against Pryor (14-18) and Piedmont (28-3) starting at 9:00 a.m.

Sand Springs also received its Regional Tournament assignment Thursday and will be taking to the road for a three-team playoff in Edmond.

The Sandites will play Stillwater (18-13) and Edmond Memorial (22-8) in a double-elimination round-robin tentatively scheduled for October 5-6th.

Sandites Go 1-1 at Tahlequah Festival - Teacher Night Scheduled for Tuesday

The Charles Page High School softball team (16-11) split games at the Tahlequah festival on Saturday, falling 3-0 to the host team before winning 6-5 against Coweta.

Addison Hughes (9-6) suffered the loss in a pitching dual with sophomore star Riley Dotson. The Sandite junior allowed seven hits with one walk and three strikeouts in the five-inning affair.

Dotson surrendered only three hits with no walks and three strikeouts as Tahlequah (17-10) dealt Sand Springs a rare shutout loss - only its third of the season.

In game two the Sandites only needed four hits to overcome Coweta (10-17) for the third time this season.

Kelsi Hilton (5-2) got the start and the win, striking out two, walking four, and surrendering three hits in two innings. Kylie King pitched two innings of relief and also threw three hits with one walk and one strikeout.

Lakelyn Harger hit a two-run double in the bottom of the first to give the Sandites their first lead, then scored on a single from Morgan Rector.

Hilton walked three to load the bases in the second but collected a pair of ground balls to leave the runners stranded. She added an RBI single in the bottom of the inning to bring home Bailey Copeland.

The Tigers completely undid the Sandites’ lead in the third, however, with five hits, a walk, and two errors to tie it up. They threatened to take the lead in the fourth with a single and an error, but Kenzie King collected a fly ball in left field to preserve the tie.

Finally, in the bottom of the fourth, Bella Wilson and Kaylei Rake were walked, Wilson took third base on a sacrifice bunt from Copeland, and scored on a wild pitch with Hilton at bat for the walkoff.

In addition to collecting the win in the circle, Hilton led the offense, going 2-for-2 at the plate with a run and two RBIs. Harger was 1-of-2 with a run and two RBIs and Copeland had two runs.

The Sandites were also scheduled to play Coweta on Monday but that game was cancelled. Next up will be a Tuesday battle with Bartlesville (10-18) for Teacher Night. Teachers will get in free with their school ID.