Michael Pineda
DUNCAN — If most of the area teams are to advance to the state softball tournament, they will have to do it on the road.
Regional assignments were handed out Monday and, of the five teams still alive, four will be loading up on the activity bus Thursday.
Marlow will travel to Lone Grove, where it will join Idabel and Madill. The Lady Outlaws will open against Madill at 3 p.m. Thursday, where a win would put them in a winner’s bracket game against Lone Grove, the No. 1 ranked team in Class 4A.
The two teams have not met this year but Marlow did knock off the Lady Longhorns last season to reach the state tournament.
“You have got to beat them all to win it all,” Marlow coach Brian Miller said. “When they first drew up the districts, I thought we would go to Lone Grove. Our girls are eager to play them. We returned everybody from last year and they have been top-ranked all year. I’m sure they are ready to get a second chance at us.”
Comanche, ranked No. 12 in 3A, will travel to Purcell, where it will open against Lindsay at 3 p.m. Thursday. On the other side of the bracket is No. 4- ranked Purcell as well as Marietta which has struggled all season long.
The Lady Indians have played onlyMarietta this year, picking up the win.
“I like our chances in coming out on top in the tournament,” Comanche coach Bill Berry said. “We have good pitching, we just need to have some hitting.”
Of Comanche’s 33 games it has played this year, 21 have come against ranked opponents.
Bray-Doyle will be the lone team staying at home this week when it hosts Wilson, Navajo and Central High. The Lady Donkeys enter the tournament ranked No. 6 in Class A. Navajo is ranked No. 11 with only one loss on the season, and Central High will enter the tournament ranked No. 13.
“We have a tough regional,” Bray-Doyle coach Joe Knapp said. “We’re hosting but that don’t mean a lot. They are all three pretty good teams.”
Bray-Doyle will open against Wilson at 1:30 p.m. Thursday with Navajo and Central High to play at 3:30 p.m. Some at Central High felt the team might be shipped to Fletcher, but instead it will travel down the road to take on a Navajo team that has only lost one game this season.
“We will take any regional,” Central High coach Chad Weldon said. “You have to beat one of the top teams to make it to the state.”
Velma-Alma will have the furthest to travel this week when it heads out to Stonewall on Thursday. The Lady Comets will open against host Stonewall at 1:30 p.m. Thursday with Calera and Rattan slated to play next on the other side of the bracket.
“I think its a winnable region for us,” Velma-Alma coach Jimmy Miller said. “ Its really odd because a lot of teams that usually host this year don’t get to, but it’s fine with me. I’m pretty pleased with it and hopefully things will work out for the best.”
The losers in the first round of each region will play at 4 p.m. Thursday with the winners playing at 6 p.m. Play will continue on Friday.
