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A few Madill Lady Wildcats watch as one of their own are at bat during the Broken Bow game at the Durant Fast Pitch Softball Tournament on September 20. James Bowser • The Madill Record -
Junior Krislyn Anderson, #15 heads to first base while junior Brayleigh Thompson, #1, warms up during the Madill v. Valliant game. James Bowser •The Madill Record
Day one with two games
The Durant Oklahoma Sports Multi-Plex hosted a women’s fast-pitch tournament on September 19 and September 20, 2020. There were many schools competing, including the Madill Wildcats. The first of the four games was against Valliant.
The start of the game was rough on the players as they had to operate on the field with a minimal number of players due to injuries, and quarantine; one even played with a sprained wrist.
Many of the players were playing outside their positions without a replacement player to take over and allow them to rest. However, that did not stop them from playing their best.
The Madill vs Valliant game was not just a test of the players endurance but, also how well they can adapt to new positions and that is what they did.
Between Madill’s own junior Emilie Johnson, #23 and sophomore Peyton Arnold, #20, they managed to do very well playing out of their comfort zone as the lead pitcher was unable to play this week.
It was unfortunate that they lost but, that is not the extent of it. Those nine girls did more cardio in the two-day tournament than most would in a month.
The first game did not end in a shut out thanks to the impressive base stealing skills of Madill junior Jaeda Townsend, #10, who scored the only run in the game after gracefully making her way from first base to home. Madill lost the first game of the tournament 13-1.
The second game of the day was against Broken Bow and started off extraordinarily strong with Johnson and then Peyton coming through with two RBIs at the beginning of the game.
Unfortunately, those two runs were the only runs Madill was able to make that game, and they lost 14-2. It was not for lack of trying as Madill’s defense was as relentless as they could be.
The only issue, once again, was the fact that the girls were playing back to back games with no substitutes and some out of their normal positions.
After a great end of day pep talk from Madill Coach Brett Vann, the girls made their way home to prepare for the two games on Saturday. Vann said he was proud of how the girls played.
Vann also noted that one of the main reasons for the loss was “unfortunate circumstances.”
Day two with two games
The second day of the Durant Fast Pitch Softball Tournament did not let up on the Wildcats, seeing that they faced the same obstacles as the prior day. For the first game on September 20, Madill faced Durant.
Under the circumstances of the first day, the only rest the girls had was the sleep they managed the night before as again, they had no substitutes and one of the players was competing in another event.
Regardless of the handicap with the short roster, the Wildcats played hard on the field against the Lions.
Due to the expansive roster of Durant, they managed an 11-0 win over Madill, and led to some frustration on the field which was remedied very quickly by Coach Vann. Even though they did not score a run, the girls were in high spirits.
Due to the Wildcat’s placement in the tournament bracket, they did not even have to move before their next game.
Even though the Wildcats had faced three losses, they seemed to remain in high spirits. A few even said they felt positive about the upcoming game.
Without much of a break from the first game of the day, they played their second game against Lone Grove. This was another team without the obstacles that Madill was facing, they had a heavy roster.
To the surprise of the Madill fans, it seemed as though the girls were saving all their energy for this game which would give them a spot in the tournament champions game.
The Wildcats started strong when junior Emilie Johnson, #23, hit a first base run and quickly followed by making it to third after some base stealing and a hit by junior Jaeda Townsend, #10, made a nice hit.
A few more at bats later and Johnson followed by Townsend crossed home plate giving them a 2-0 lead in the first inning.
Senior Abbey Tiernan, #6 made her at bat worth everything.
After a base hit, she managed to steal all the bases to home after a third base tag up following a catch allowed her to score their third and final run.
Fortunately, it was not just the offense that did well. Second string pitcher sophomore Peyton Arnold, #20 managed to keep the batters in check thanks to the guidance of the coaches. Lone Grove still managed to score despite the best efforts of these girls who will not quit.
The game ended with a Madill loss 6-3 but, not before Madill ruined 2 innings of bases loaded opportunities for Lone Grove.
A huge outfield catch and third base out double play by senior Ximena Gomez, #13, and junior Krislyn Anderson, #15. ended their inning.