Oilton moms and dads get a two-game highlight reel
OILTON — If you were in Oilton and anywhere between God’sGym and the Cimarron River, last week, what you thought you heard was just the Oilton Lady Panthers softball squad spending a couple days turning the base paths into drag strips. The Lady Panthers clipped Olive 10-2 behind Paydee Smith’s storm of strikeouts, then rolled past Oklahoma Christian Academy 14-3 with Je Cox treating a Here’s how it went down. In the bottom of the first, Karlie Kennedy set the tone with a leado rope to left, then swiped second. Next, Demi Kennedy’s perfectly nasty bunt pin-balled o first and Karlie left second and never stopped running. It was 1-0 before Olive could find the rosin bag. After a productive out moved the train, Paydee Smith chopped an RBI groundout to short and Demi Kennedy crossed for 2-0. With two down, Je Cox rolled a tough hopper that short couldn’t grasp and sprinted all the way to third on the miscue. Jadeann Smith cashed Cox’s check with a clean single to center for a 3-0 lead.
Fast forward to the bottom of the second. Karlie wore a pitch, then swiped second and third like she had a BOGO coupon. Demi Kennedy split right field with a twoout double to plate her, 4-0 — and the dugout started to make noise.
Now it’s the bottom of the third, because Oilton’s defense is amazing and Cox bunted her way aboard, because of course, then stole, and later scored, when Keylee James shot a single to right and took third on an outfield bobble - 5-1 after Olive scratched one on a walk parade. Courtesy runner Mackenzie Begley then got to sprint home on Aubrey McEwen’s gap double to center — 6-1.
Bottom of the fourth, Karlie dead-legged a bunt for a single, stole second, stole third, and scored on a passed ball during Demi’s at-bat — 7-2. With two outs, Cox dead-sticked another bunt single and Jadeann uncorked a right-field laser for a two-run triple. In a blink it was 9–2 and Olive was looking for the bus keys.
Bottom of the fifth - McEwen opened with a sky single that the center fielder kicked around just long enough to gift her second. Avery Ford made it count, hammering a line-drive double to center to end the game by run rule, 10–2.
All that fun in the base paths was brought to you by Paydee Smith, who was a thunderhead in the circle with 10 strikeouts, no hits allowed through five frames and enough late life to make hitters consider new hobbies. Oilton swiped eight bags for good measure, with Karlie nabbing five on her own and Smith knocking in three.
In the top of the first Karlie Kennedy lofted a can of corn to left that turned into a Little League adventure movie - o the glove, around the horn, and all the way home for a 1-0 lead. Cox bunted for a hit, took two extra bases on a passed ball/throwing error combo, and then scored on another passed ball for 2-0. Jadeann added a single because that’s what Jadeann does.
In the second, Keylee James walked, stole second, stole third, and Hollie Locke dropped a textbook squeeze play to make it to right and Cox slapped her second bunt; when the catcher rushed the throw, Kennedy never slowed — 4-1.
In the third, Jadeann shot a single to center and Angela Rosenquist followed with an RBI knock up the middle — 5-1. James walked, McEwen bunted them over, and OCA finally exhaled with a groundout to end the torture. Briefly.
In the top of the fourth, Karlie singled to center and the ball kicked around like it hit a sprinkler head — error to center, error to the circle, and Karlie circled the pillows for 6-1. Cox punched another single, Demi skied out, and Paydee answered with a firm RBI single to left — 7-1. With two down, Rosenquist slapped a single and Keylee shot a liner to center to score Paydee; the throw bounced weird and James scooted to second while Rosie parked at third — 8-1 before OCA scraped two back in the home half.
The pain continued in the top of the fifth. Locke struck out but Karlie laid down another nasty bunt and reached on a misfire at first. She came flying home when Cox's grounder handcued the bag — 9–3. With two outs, Cox broke for home on Paydee’s chopper and beat the tag on a fielder's choice - 10–3.
Top of the sixth — Jadeann singled and took third on a groundout, then scored on a passed ball — 11–3. James ripped a single to center and came all the way around when the ball skittered to the fence — 12–3. McEwen lined a single to left, and another outfield bobble turned it into another full lap — 13–3. For dessert, Karlie lofted to left, another miscue in the grass, and another plate-to-plate dash as the relay kicked away — 14–3.
That was plenty for Demi Kennedy, who authored three nohit innings to start (one unearned run), with three strikeouts, and for Paydee, who came back late to close it out. Cox stacked three hits and a pocketful of stolen bases, Jadeann matched her three-for-three knocks, Karlie posted two hits and ran like the concession stand was gonna' close, and Oilton finished with nine steals — enough larceny to keep the stat crew busy and the bleacher moms hoarse.
Two games, one theme: Oilton puts pressure on you from the Star Spangled Banner to the post-game ad-lib fight song.