Published: October 01, 2008 04:35 pm      

Lone Grove slows down Lady Cougs

Lone Grove — By DAVID SEELEY

Special Correspondent

LONE GROVE — The Lone Grove Lady Longhorns showed the Ada Lady Cougars why they are No. 1 in the Class 4A Coaches Association Poll on Monday.

Thanks to one big inning, and the pitching of Lone Grove’s Tiara Marks, the Lady Longhorns run ruled the Lady Cougars 10-2 in six innings.

It was the second inning in which the game was decided. After a scoreless first inning, Lone Grove (33-3) sent 11 batters to the plate, and scored six of them. A two-RBI single by Abby Barton, an RBI single by Kristin Moyers and a three-run double by Madison McMurtrey gave the hosts a 6-0 lead after two innings.

In the third inning, a sacrifice fly by Moyers, followed by an RBI single by Alyssa Ferguson, increased Lone Grove’s lead to 8-0 after three innings.

An RBI single by McMurtrey in the fifth inning made it 9-2, then an Ada error in the sixth inning let the 10th run score to end the game by run rule.

The Lady Cougars (10-19) had at least one baserunner get aboard in five of the six innings, but they could not get anything generated off Marks (25-1) — except for one inning.

Down 8-0 after four innings, Ada got its only runs on Jenna Huling’s two-out, two-RBI double to keep the game going one more frame.

“We had our chances,” Ada coach Scott Simpson said. “We loaded the bases there in that one inning (Ada’s two-run fifth inning), and we had an opportunity to score more than the two runs we did. We knew Lone Grove would come out and hit the ball, and that’s what we needed to do. We just didn’t get the job done.”

For the game, McMurtrey was 2-for-4 with four runs batted in, Barton was 2-for-3 with two runs batted in, Brooke Gentry was 2-for-3 with a run scored, Moyers was 2-for-2 with two RBI and a run scored and Tori Deck was 1-for-2 with three runs scored for Lone Grove. Marks scattered six hits and struck out nine batters.

In defeat, Hanna Huling was 2-for-3, while Jenna Huling was 1-for-3 with two RBI for Ada. Hanna Huling (8-17) suffered the loss for the Lady Cougars.

Ada hosts McAlester tonight at 5 p.m. and then Durant at 5 p.m. Wednesday for Senior Night.