Sports

SHAWNEE – While it was not the error-free game El Reno head coach Davee Deaton knew it would take to beat top-seeded Carl Albert, the Indians still took the Titans to seven complete innings Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Class 5A State Fast-Pitch Softball Championships.

El Reno, the No.8 seed, outscored Carl Albert 4-2 over the final three innings but could not overcome a slow start – both at the plate and on the field.

The Titans scored eight runs in the first four frames en route to a 10-4 win over El Reno.

While it took a pair of nail-biting victories, El Reno High School's softball team is headed back to the Class 5A State Softball Championships for the second time in four seasons.

Playing the first-ever postseason games on its new field at Adams Park North, El Reno rallied from a 10-3 deficit to defeat Noble 21-11 in five innings to win the 2019 Class 5A, Region 2 Championships.

Calumet High School’s fast-pitch softball team wrapped up the season last week with back-to-back losses in the Class B, Region 1 Championship but still exited the postseason with a winning record.

The Chieftains went 3-2 in the playoffs after winning the District 8 Championship with a win over Timberlake (11-1) and two victories over Drummond by scores of 9-5 and 13-10.

The regional losses were to No.11 Arnett (12-2) and Chattanooga (4-0), which left Calumet with a 12-16 overall record.

While he agrees with the chatter that Ardmore is not the same team it was a year ago, El Reno head coach Chuck Atchison knows the talent level with the Tigers is just as good as ever.

“They are a different team from last year because they don't have all those players that had been there for several years. But they are still good and they have got players that are fast and a defense which is not giving up very much.

“They are still a typical Ardmore team,” said Atchison.