Heavener, Poteau meet Wednesday

By CRAIG HALL
PANAMA—Heavener and Poteau are heading for a showdown in the winners’ bracket finals Wednesday after both teams used explosive hitting to down Pocola and Panama.

After elimination day, only six teams are still in contention after seven teams were eliminated on Tuesday.

Photo by CRAIG HALL A Poteau runner slides into home safely.

Heavener and Poteau meet at 4 p.m. while Panama, Pocola, Whitesboro and Bokoshe are still alive in the losers’ bracket and will all play on Wednesday as the tournament was moved up a day because of a FCCLA conference on Friday.

Heavener and Poteau have met three times this season. In the first meeting, the game ended up tied 6-6 after two Lady Pirates were injured in an outfield collision. Last week, Poteau edged Heavener, 6-5, in the Muskogee Shootout.

Top-seeded Poteau jumped out to a 7-1 win after two innings and held on to knock off Panama, 12-5.

In the other winners’ bracket game, third-seeded Heavener avenged a 13-1 loss two weeks ago with a 17-7 run-rule victory over Pocola.

Taylor Collins hit a home run for Heavener in her first at-bat and was walked her last three at bats. Clean-up hitter Shaylee Manley made Pocola pay for the strategy and hit a double with the bases loaded in the fifth inning to clear the runners in part of a seven-run inning.

In the best game of the day, Whitesboro edged Talihina in eight innings to stay alive while Bokoshe edged Cameron, 8-7, in another good game as Kelly Harrelson hit a single with two outs in the top of the seventh to break a tie and bring in two runs for the Lady Tigers.

Talihina opened the day with an easy 12-0 win over Arkoma while Cameron scored seven runs in its last at-bat to come-from-behind and down Wister, 11-10. Whitesboro eliminated Spiro, 10-7, Bokoshe downed LeFlore, 9-4 and Talihina nipped Howe, 7-6.

In addition to the Heavener and Poteau matchup, Panama plays Whitesboro and Bokoshe takes on Pocola, also at 4 p.m.