SOFTBALL: Bucktrot, Cookson lead Claremore past Collinsville
Aug. 25—After its first inning at the plate, Claremore softball looked like it could be in some trouble.
The Lady Zebras made contact with the ball, but all resulted in easy outs and forced them to go three up and three down. The second inning was more of the same, with consecutive strikeouts and a fly out leaving them empty handed.
By the third, though, something clicked.
Emoree Woody and Toney Gibson led off the frame with a pair of singles, and Halle Bucktrot drove them both in three at-bats later with the game-winning double as Claremore went on to secure a 5-2 victory over Collinsville in District 5A-4 action Monday.
The win ended a five-game losing streak, which included four losses in the Owasso Festival over the weekend.
Woody and Bucktrot were two of three two-hit finishers for the Lady Zebras, with Jazmine Cookson being the other. Claremore (4-8 overall, 2-1 in 5A-4) recorded nine hits in all.
Cookson — who had two RBIs via a fielder's choice and a groundout — did her share in the circle as well, tossing six strikeouts with seven hits allowed on 86 pitches in a full-game effort.
Grace Weaver (single) and Cookson (groundout) accounted for the Lady Zebras' final two runs in the fifth, increasing the lead to 5-1. The Lady Cardinals tried to rally in the seventh, but all they could manage was an RBI triple to make it a three-run game.
Collinsville (1-9, 1-3) scored the game's opening run on an RBI groundout in the third, seemingly sparking the awakening of the Claremore bats.
The Lady Zebras return to action Thursday at Coweta in another district matchup.
