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  • Stillwater pitcher Baby Phares delivers a pitch during the game against Sapulpa in the Stillwater High School Softball Festival Friday at Little Couch Park. Phares allowed just one hit and two walks as Stillwater defeated Sapulpa 4-0.

    Baby Phares.jpg
August 10, 2012

Stillwater High School softball pitches pair of shutouts

By Nick Snow Stillwater NewsPress

STILLWATER, Okla. — The Stillwater High School softball team’s biggest concern turned into its biggest surprise as opened the Stillwater High School Softball Festival with a pair of shutouts over Sapulpa and Bartlesville Friday at Little Couch Park.

“I couldn’t ask for more than what our pitchers did today,” Davis said. “They threw a complete game. They hit their spots, got a lot of strikeouts, got people to groundout — it was just a great day for them.”

Stillwater (3-0) was led by freshman Baby Phares, who got the start against Sapulpa. Making her first career start, Phares (1-0) allowed just one hit and a pair of walks as Stillwater topped the Lady Chieftans 4-0 in Stillwater’s first game of the festival.

“It was pretty big for me,” Phares said. “This is my first full game that I pitched for the varsity, and to have that experience was just really big. I guess I just have to keep getting better through practice and try to throw a no-hitter next game.”

“I was very impressed by the way Baby pitched,” Davis said. “It give me a lot of hope for the future for us. She did a great job.”

Phares also had plenty of support from the Stillwater offense, as well. After scratching across a run in the top of the first, Brittney Lockett scored Maty Warlick on a two-out single for a crucial insurance run in the top of the third, giving Stillwater a 2-0 lead.

“That was one of our goals, to make sure we score in the first inning,” Davis said. “I feel like if we can do that, then we can work better with the lead. It helped (Phares) get those jitters away, knowing she’s got a little cushion behind her.”

As dominant as Phares was in the first game, Lockett was just as successful in the second game against Bartlesville. Lockett, fresh off her no-hit performance against Putnam City West on Thursday, struck out eight and only allowed two hits as Stillwater took the second game 7-0.

“She had eight strikeouts, which we’ll take that any day of the week from her,” Davis said. “She was hitting her spots and letting her defense worked behind her.”

Already up 2-0, the Lady Pioneers’ bats exploded for four runs on five hits in the bottom of the third. Six straight singles — all of them on the first pitch — helped pad Stillwater’s lead to 6-0.

“I think we were just getting good pitches,” said senior Jenny Scarbrough, who finished the day going 4 for 5 with two RBI in the two games. “We just saw them really well, and one hit just led to another hit.”

Stillwater tacked on another run in the fourth before Lockett finished the game by striking out two of the final three batters in the top of the fifth.

With two wins already in their pocket, Scarbrough said the challenge will be carrying it over to Saturday’s 9 a.m. game against Ponca City.

“I hope we just keep up what we did today,” Scarbrough said. “We just have to keep the energy going, keep the confidence and all that stuff. We need to keep playing strong defense behind our pitchers, so that they’ll have the confidence to continue to pitch well for us.”

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