MARLOW — On paper, Thursday afternoon’s matchup between the undefeated Class 4A Cache Lady Bulldogs and the 3-3 Marlow Lady Outlaws was a mismatch.

However, as Cache quickly found out, Marlow can prove to be a tough matchup, especially when playing at Southwest Park.

Unfortunately for the Lady Outlaws, luck wasn’t on their side in the contest.

Despite sophomore Abbey Warren’s home run in the sixth inning, and six innings of shutout pitching by Gigi Wall, Cache escaped with a 2-1 victory.

“We can play, we just have to learn how to play like that every day,” Marlow coach Brian Miller said. “Against a good team, we had one mistake. A walk and an error in one inning gave them a run, which could have cost us the ballgame. We swung the bats well and our pitcher threw well. It was a complete game and I’ll take getting beat by a team like that any day.”

The inning in which allowed Cache to earn the breakthrough was in the top of the third.

After Lauren Mason led off the inning with a walk, Taylor Fritz brought her home with an RBI, before being thrown out at second base, giving the Lady Outlaws two outs.

When Torey Hamilton hit a slow grounder, it seemed as though Marlow was going to escape the inning with little harm.

However, after an error at first base, the Lady Bulldogs were given a lifeline, to which they took full advantage of.

Pitcher Tate Landmark scorched an RBI double to center field, giving Cache a 2-0 lead.

Marlow struck back in the bottom of the sixth inning, when shortstop Abbey Warren led off the inning with a home run over the left-center field wall, cutting the deficit in half.

Cache wasn’t so generous from then on, stifling the Lady Outlaws scoring chances, including a bases-loaded opportunity in the bottom of the seventh with two outs.

There was plenty of defense on display from both squads, as both teams’ outfields kept them in the game.

Senior Avery Walker nearly brought Marlow back into the contest in the bottom of the fifth inning, with a shot to center field with runners on second and third, only to be robbed by Nikki Horton on a solid running catch.

Diamond Morris and Shelby Elroy also flashed leather in the outfield, both making solid catches to keep the Lady Bulldogs from causing further damage.

“Our outfielders know that’s one of the things we have been harping on,” Miller said. “We’ve talked a lot about how they haven’t been making plays. They’ve been making a more concentrated effort at practice to do a better job making plays.”

Wall (2-3) took the loss in the circle for the Lady Outlaws, pitching a complete game. She allowed just two runs on four hits with two walks and one strikeout.

Landmark (9-0) got the win for the Lady Bulldogs, also pitching a complete game. She allowed just one run on seven hits with three walks and two strikeouts.

“Their (Cache) pitcher (Landmark) is good,” Miller said. “She’s one of the best around for sure. If we would have won that game 3-2 then I would have been extremely happy. If you can be happy with a loss then I’m happy with this one. This is something we can build on because we know we’re going to be there at the end.”

Marlow will be back in action this evening at Southwest Park, taking part in the Marlow softball Festival. MHS will be taking on Pauls Valley at 6 p.m. then Lindsay at 9 p.m.



CACHE 2, MARLOW 1

        R    H    E

Cac.    002    000 — 2    4    0

Mar.    000    010 — 1    7    1

Tate Landmark and Jamie Bonnarens. Gigi Wall and Kaytlyn Kizarr. WP: Landmark (9-0) LP: Wall (2-3)  2B: Landmark (C), Kizarr (M), Shayna Throckmorton (M). HR: Abbey Warren (M).