By Blake Colston
Sports Editor
SHAWNEE – For the second time in as many days, Piedmont’s Payten Schibbelhute proved untouchable.
The senior righthander shut down Elgin over seven scoreless innings as the Lady Wildcats silenced the Owls in a 4-0 victory to advance to the state finals for the third consecutive season.
“It’s extremely hard to get there. People look on paper and expect it from us,” head coach Keith Coleman said. “But all these teams are good, and they all want to win just as bad as we do. I’m proud of our kids for giving us another chance.”
The Lady Wildcats will play Guthrie in the championship game Saturday at Marita Hynes Field on the campus of the University of Oklahoma. First pitch is set for 2:30 p.m.
The Blue Jays rallied for three runs in their final at-bat Friday to beat Coweta 6-5.
Piedmont (38-3) took the only previous meeting between the two teams this season 13-0 on Sept. 16.
“We’ll definitely get their best shot,” Coleman said of Guthrie.
On Friday, Piedmont used its tried-and-true recipe of pitching, defense and timely hitting to get by a young and talented Elgin squad.
Like it did on Thursday, Piedmont’s offense did all its damage in one inning. PHS scratched four times in the third, with Hannah Nieuwenhuis, Peyton Gray and Addison Cassady delivering RBI-hits. The Lady ‘Cats totaled eight hits in the game.
Once Schibbelhute had the lead, the script was all but written. Elgin put two runners on in their final at-bat, but never brought the tying run to the plate. It was the first time this season that the Owls (28-11) had been shutout.
“We had played them early in the year, so we had a good idea of how to attack them,” Coleman said. “We wanted to change speeds and keep everything away from them.”
Schibbelhute, who improved to 11-0 in state tournament games, executed the plan to perfection, allowing only three hits and one walk with five strikeouts. She got a swing-and-miss to end the game on her 116th pitch.
“It’s what’s made her great the whole time she’s been here. She’s so tough and mentally competitive,” said Coleman, noting that a stiff breeze blowing in from right field played perfectly into Piedmont’s plan.
The wind made playing any ball in the air an adventure, but the Lady Wildcats fielding was steady, once again.
“Our defense the last two days has been exceptional,” Coleman said.
Now, only one final barrier stands between Piedmont and its fourth state championship since 2019. If the Lady Wildcats can win on Saturday, they’ll complete the first three-peat in large school fast pitch softball in two decades.
