Published: September 17, 2008 11:32 am         

More bad luck for Lady Cougs

Roff takes advantage of Ada miscue in Tuesday festival

Roff — Murphy's Law just keeps on following the Ada High softball team around.

Just 24 hours after an excruciating, extra-inning loss to Durant, a costly error with two outs in the bottom of the fourth led to four unearned runs by Roff that snapped a 2-2 tie and helped the host Lady Tigers to a 7-2 win Tuesday night to cap off the Roff Festival.

In an earlier festival game, Ada freshman pitcher Jenna Huling took bad luck out of the equation, as she dominated Stuart in a 12-2 Lady Cougar victory.

Roff begin the festival by breaking a 3-3 tie with a seven-run fourth inning en route to an 11-3 win over Stuart.

Both Ada and Roff have tough weekends ahead.

The Lady Cougars travel to the Durant Tournament on Thursday where they'll take on Colbert at 1:30 p.m. and Tishomingo at 4:30 p.m. in Pool Play. Ada then meets Atoka Friday at 9 a.m. and Lone Grove at noon.

Coach Kathy Gregson's crew — ranked No. 10 in Class B — will compete in the always-tough Hall of Fame Shootout in Oklahoma City this weekend. Friday, Roff tangles with Fletcher (No. 7 in Class A) at 5 p.m. and Sasakwa (No. 2 in Class B) at 6:30 p.m. before battling Keota Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m. and Wynnewood at noon.

Roff 7, Ada 2

The Lady Tigers had runners at first and second with two outs when Ada pitcher Hanna Huling got RHS nine-hole hitter Jordan Grinstead to hit a high fly ball to shallow left field. But miscommunication between two Ada defenders trying to track down the ball resulted in a botched catch, allowing what turned out to be the winning run to score.

Roff padded its lead after Catie Tolliver hit an RBI single and Tyla Truett followed with a two-run base hit to right.

The Lady Cougars had plenty of chances to put some runs on the scoreboard throughout the game, but RHS pitcher Jodie Byers kept working in and out of jams, stranding 12 Ada base runners. In fact, coach Scott Simpson's team left the bases loaded in the second and sixth innings.

Ada struck first in the top of the second inning, getting an RBI single by Shelbey Franz.

Roff pushed across its first two runs in the bottom of the frame with more production from the bottom of its lineup.

J.J. Stewart, batting eighth, clubbed an RBI double down the left field line and Grinstead followed with a run-scoring single to right to put Roff on top 2-1.

Ada tied it in the third when Destiny Smith reached on a two-out error, went to third on a single by Deede Thompson and scored when Byers tried to catch her off the third base bag and threw the ball away.

Ada had two of its strangest outs of the year on back-to-back plays in the top of the fifth. Smith, Ada's fastest runner, hit a hard line drive off Byers' thigh that ricocheted right to Stewart at shortstop who threw her out on a close call at first.

Then, Thompson looked like she had her third hit of the day when her line drive dropped just behind the second base bag into center field. But Tyla Truett charged the ball, scooped it up and fired toward first just in time to record the out and rob Thompson of the single.

Spencer Phillips and Tera Otis both had two hits and scored twice to pace an 11-hit RHS offense.

Ada had eight hits in the game, but Thompson was the only player with more than one, finishing 2-for-4. Lindsey Elliott hit a leadoff double in the seventh for Ada's only extra base hit but was stranded at third.

Ada 12, Stuart 2

Jenna Huling gave up two runs on two base hits and an ill-timed wild pitch in the bottom of the first before blowing the Stuart lineup away through the final 3.2 innings. Huling struck out 10 of the final 13 batters she face and Stuart put the ball in play just once during that stretch — when Kayli Blassengame grounded out to first. Huling ended the game with six consecutive strikeouts and needed just 11 pitches to complete both the final two innings.

Ada quickly raced to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first and scored three more in the second and four more in the third to cruise.

Charlesey Youngwolfe led the Ada offense, going 2-for-3 with a double — on a ball that appeared to be heading out of the park in the top of the third before it clanked into the fence in left-center field — while scoring three times. Elliott also had two hits for the Lady Cougars while Taryn Jack walked twice and her courtesy runner — Allison Keel — scored three runs of her own.

Jenna Huling and Thompson added two RBIs apiece.

     

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