With hopes of once again hosting a Class 5A regional on life support after a 10-0 loss to Glenpool and trailing 5-0 in the second meeting, the Durant Lady Lions found some late inning magic last Friday.
Coach Jimmie Wyrick’s group scored eight times in the final three stanzas to overcome a rugged start and forge a pivotal 8-7 victory to leave the Lady Lions two more league wins away from another home regional.
That victory offset three tough outings in defeats to Tahlequah (11-2), Glenpool (10-0) and Broken Bow (10-1).
Durant began the critical comeback in the fifth inning with a Glenpool error followed by a Anslee Morse single. Rachel Spencer contributed a RBI single and Raelynn Clark added a two-run double that narrowed the gap to 5-3.
The Lady Warriors answered with two in the top of the sixth but Durant got those two back along with two more that tied things up at 7-7.
A Glenpool error once again got the Lady Lion rally going. Kenzee Petty chipped in a single before a Korbyn Robinson single to right drove in one run.
Kaitlen Rush kept the rally going with a two-out RBI single and Spencer then cleared the bases with the tying triple to right field.
Emma Sherrer got the first two outs in the top of the seventh before Addi Pratt came on in relief after starting the game to record the final out following a walk.
Durant came to life with the final flurry in the bottom of the seventh as Lylith Harris reached on an error and singles from Sherrer and Petty loaded the bases. Robinson then hit a ground ball and scored when the catcher dropped the throw home.
Pratt finished with four and one-third innings pitched in which she yielded three unearned runs on four hits and was credited with the pitching victory.
The Lady Lions managed 10 hits, most of which came late, as Clark, Petty and Spencer all notched two apiece. Sherrer, Robinson, Morse and Rush tallied one hit each.
