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Softball districts announced
Slow pitch softball districts were released recently and four LeFlore Counties teams are hosting districts.
See the districts for all of Oklahoma HERE. Districts must be completed by April 20.
In Class 4A, Pocola and Panama are hosts, LeFlore is a host in Class A and Whitesboro is hosting a Class B district.
Spiro is at Pocola, Howe and Vian are in the Panama district and Heavener was sent to a district at Valliant with the hosts and Calera.
LeFlore hosts Smithville and Fort Towson. Cameron goes to a district at Moss along with Coyle. while Sasakwa is at Whitesboro
Sooners blast Pokes, 19-10
STILLWATER – Oklahoma blasted its way to a series-tying victory Saturday in Stillwater, beating the Cowboys 19-10 to force a rubber match Sunday.
The Sooners (17-13, 8-3 Big 12) hit six home runs in the game, good for the most since hitting six at Texas Tech in 2022. The Sooners brought their series homer total to 10 after hitting four last night. OU entered the weekend with eight blasts in Big 12 play. On the day, the two teams combined for 29 runs on 28 hits and 10 home runs.
The six round-trippers on the day came from six different Sooners: Anthony Mackenzie, Bryce Madron, Scott Mudler, Jackson Nicklaus, Michael Snyder and Jaxon Willits. It marked back-to-back games with home runs for Nicklaus and Willits.
OU’s 19 runs were the most scored vs. the Cowboys since a 21-run outburst in Oklahoma City in 2006, and the most the Sooners have scored in Stillwater since 1985 (21). OU put up crooked numbers in five innings, including five-spots in both the third and fourth innings.
After a scoreless first inning between two starting pitchers that began the day with sub-2.00 ERAs, OSU’s Brian Holiday (1.75) and OU’s Kyson Witherspoon (1.41), a slugfest started in the second inning.
Oklahoma started the scoring with back to back home runs at the top of the second, courtesy Mackenzie and Snyder. It marked the third time this season that OU has hit consecutive blasts. Redshirt senior Kendall Pettis ended the scoring in the frame with an RBI groundout.
At the bottom half of the second, OSU homered, singled in a run and scored on a wild pitch to go up 4-3 after two.
Moving to the third, the Sooners blasted another pair of home runs and Pettis brought another run in via groundout. Madron hit a leadoff blast before Mudler ripped a three-run shot to right field. A two-run home run from the Pokes in the bottom half made it a two-run game through three.
Mackenzie continued his tear at the plate with an RBI double to right center in the fourth before Nicklaus brought him home on a double of his own. Two batters later with the bases loaded, Mudler laced a three-run single to left center to up his RBI total on the day to six. It was the most runs batted in for a Sooner since Blake Robertson brought in six vs. Kansas in 2022.
To the bottom fourth, a solo homer from OSU’s Zach Ehrhard brought the Cowboys within six at 13-7.
The Sooners put three more runs on the board in the sixth, courtesy a three-run jack from Willits. It was Willits’ third home run in two games after hitting one on the season entering the series.
A two-run bottom half of the sixth for OSU made it 16-9 after six.
At the top of the seventh, Nicklaus continued to swing a hot bat with his fifth home run in the last six games on a two-run jack to right. The Pokes answered with a solo home run in the bottom of the eighth to make it 18-10 as the game entered an hour-and-a-half rain delay.
After play resumed, OU scored the game’s final run via wild pitch after Madron drew a walk and moved to scoring position via sacrifice play.
Five Sooners had multi-hit days, including three in Mackenzie, Nicklaus and Snyder with three hits apiece. Mudler brought in six runs, while Willits and Nicklaus followed with three each.
OU starting RHP K. Witherspoon went 3.2 innings, surrendering seven runs on eight hits with a walk and two strikeouts. Senior Carter Campbell (1-0) earned the win, hurling four innings, scattering three hits, three runs and three walks with five strikeouts. Junior reliever Reid Hensley closed the contest, throwing 1.1 scoreless innings with one hit, one walk and one strikeout.
The teams meet for the Bedlam Series rubber match at 1 p.m. CT Sunday. The contest can be seen via Big 12 NOW on ESPN+ and heard locally in Oklahoma on SportsTalk 1400 AM/99.3 FM or nationwide on The Varsity app.
For updates and more information on Oklahoma baseball, follow the Sooners on Twitter and Instagram (@OU_Baseball) and like Oklahoma Baseball on Facebook.
Souza helps Hogs down Rebels, 7-4
FAYETTEVILLE, Arkansas – Nolan Souza swatted a pair of homers and drove in a team-leading five RBI to fuel No. 1 Arkansas’ (27-3, 11-1 SEC) series-sweeping 7-4 win over Ole Miss (18-15, 3-9 SEC) Saturday afternoon at Baum-Walker Stadium.
The Razorbacks improved to 11-1 in SEC play with Saturday’s win, marking their best 12-game start in league play since joining the SEC in 1992. Arkansas’ 27 overall wins, meanwhile, represent its most through 30 games in program history.
With the series-sweeping win, Arkansas also improved to 23-1 overall inside the friendly confines of Baum-Walker Stadium this season, extending its Baum-Walker Stadium winning streak to a program-record 21 games. The Hogs’ record for consecutive home wins is 27 at George Cole Field, their ballpark from 1975-95, during the 1984-85 seasons.
Souza’s second multi-homer game of the season powered Arkansas to its first weekend series sweep of Ole Miss since 2002 and its first of the Rebels in Fayetteville since 1997. The true freshman’s solo home run in the bottom of the fourth inning opened the scoring before his three-run blast in the bottom of the seventh proved to be the game-winner.
For the season, Souza is now slashing a team-leading .357/.471/.732 across 20 games. The Honolulu, Hawai’i, native is tied for second on the Razorbacks in home runs with six and has driven in 18 RBI on the year.
Offensively, Wehiwa Aloy (2-for-4) and Kendall Diggs (3-for-5) also chipped in with multi-hit games of their own. Jared Sprague-Lott, meanwhile, drew a season-high three walks in Saturday’s series-sweeping 7-4 victory over the Rebels.
Junior right-hander Brady Tygart started on the mound and turned in 4.1 innings of two-run ball with seven strikeouts. Jake Faherty (0.2 IP, 1 SO), Parker Coil (0.2 IP, 1 ER, 2 SO), Gabe Gaeckle (2.2 IP, 1 ER, 4 SO) and Will McEntire (0.2 IP, 1 SO) worked in relief of Tygart and combined for 4.2 innings of two-run ball with eight strikeouts in the winning effort.
Gaeckle earned his first collegiate win to move his season record to 1-2, while McEntire logged his fourth save. For the season, McEntire boasts a team-leading 1.75 ERA to go along with 45 strikeouts in his 36.0 relief innings of work.
Arkansas finishes its 10-game homestand next week with a two-game midweek series against San Jose State. First pitch in the series opener between the Razorbacks and Spartans is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 9, on SEC Network+.
For complete coverage of Arkansas baseball, follow the Hogs on Twitter (@RazorbackBSB), Instagram (@RazorbackBSB) and Facebook (Arkansas Razorback Baseball).
LeFlore County weather
Look for partly cloudy skies and continued warm temperatures Sunday in LeFlore County weather.
The high is forecast to be 75 degrees with a low of 52.
Get our daily text update. Text JOIN to (855) 761-3006.
Sunrise is 6:56 a.m. Sunset is 7:44 p.m.
Average temperatures for April 7 are a high of 72 and low of 44. Records for the date were a high of 86 in 1978. The record low was 28 in 1971.
Last year, on this date, the high was 66 with a low of 41.
Saturday’s high was 81 with a low of 68.
The calendar
Calendar of events for Heavener, LeFlore County and southeastern Oklahoma.. If you are a non-profit, school or church, submit an event. This is a free service for non-profits and churches, so if you want your event published, send an email to craig@heavenerledger.com
Monday
LeFlore County commissioners meet 9 a.m.
High school baseball: Roland at Heavener; Battiest at Panama; Pocola at Wilburton; Spiro at Preston
School board meetings
Tuesday
Heavener at Warner meet
High school baseball: Heavener at Roland; Arkoma at Quinton; Cameron at McCurtain; Muldrow at Panama; Pocola at Vian; Poteau at Hilldale; Talihina at Spiro; Wister at Wright City
High school softball: LCT
High school soccer: Sallisaw at Heavener; Webster at Poteau
Poteau Evening Lions Club meet 6 p.m. CASC
Wednesday
Poteau Rotary Club meets noon EOMC
Thursday
Poteau Kiwanis Club meets noon
Heavener VFW bingo 6:30 p.m. Highway 59 North
High school baseball: Heavener at Kiowa Tournament; Whitesboro at Howe; Panama at Pocola; Hilldale at Poteau; Talihina at Buffalo Valley
High school softball: LCT
Heavener soccer at Dove Science
Friday
Heavener at Atoka meet
High school baseball: Heavener at Kiowa Tournament; Bokoshe at Braggs; Talihina at Panama; Poteau vs. Preston in McAlester Festival
High school softball: Panama at Smithville; Talihina at Canadian
High school soccer: Poteau at Sallisaw
Saturday
High school baseball: Heavener at Kiowa Tournament; Panama at Spiro; Broken Bow JV vs. Talihina
Tornadoes return in March
By GARY McMANUS
OSC Mesonet
Oklahoma’s weather was mostly lamb during March, although it did have its lion moments. The state experienced only one true outbreak of severe weather, but that single event on March 14 was significant nonetheless with two confirmed tornadoes in McIntosh and McCurtain counties and hail greater than softball size in Ada.
Remarkably, Oklahoma had gone nearly five months without a confirmed tornado since the previous two back on October 24, 2023, in Garvin and Pottawatomie counties. These October tornadoes were the only ones in the state for the majority of the past nine months, aside from a solitary tornado near Woodward on July 7, 2023.
The five confirmed tornadoes from July through March are notably fewer than the 1951-2022 average of 15 tornadoes for the same nine-month span. The hailstorm on March 14 caused significant property damage in Ada, with reports of hailstones the size of baseballs and one measuring nearly 6 inches—the largest ever recorded in Pottawatomie County, according to the National Weather Service.
March also brought a late-season snowfall that deposited 3-4 inches of snow in the Oklahoma Panhandle on the 25th, with central Oklahoma receiving a few inches as well. A flash drought emerged in northwestern Oklahoma at the month’s end, following an extended dry spell of up to 107 consecutive days without at least a quarter-inch of rain. Elevated temperatures during this period further exacerbated the drought conditions.
The statewide average precipitation for March tallied 1.95 inches, as per preliminary data from the Oklahoma Mesonet, marking it as the 47th driest March since records began in 1895 and 0.83 inches below normal. In the Panhandle, the average total precipitation of 0.13 inches ranked as its 13th driest March on record, with an average deficit of 1.17 inches.
Deficits predominated across much of the state, although smaller areas experienced surplus precipitation, notably in central and southeastern Oklahoma. Valliant reported the highest total for the month at 8.46 inches, exceeding the normal by 3.6 inches, whereas Buffalo recorded a mere 0.01 inches—barely enough to register on the rain gauge—marking a deficit of 1.5 inches below normal.
Thirty-three Mesonet sites, including Buffalo, reported totals at or below an inch, while twenty-five sites accumulated at least 3 inches throughout the month. The statewide average precipitation for the first three months of the year stood at 5.57 inches, 0.47 inches below normal, marking it as the 60th wettest January through March on record.
The statewide average temperature was 54.1 degrees, 2.9 degrees above normal and ranked as the 22nd warmest March on record. Temperatures across the state ranged from a high of 88 degrees on March 31 at Alva, to 11 degrees at Boise City on the 26th.
The first half of the month was several degrees warmer on average than the second half, and most of the state spent more hours at or below freezing during the latter half of March. Freezing hours ranged from about one hour in parts of southern Oklahoma during March, to nearly 150 hours in the Panhandle. The first three months of the year were 1.9 degrees above normal at 45.9 degrees statewide, the 19th warmest January through March on record.
Drought coverage in the state expanded by over 5% throughout the month—from 3% to 9%—primarily due to the emerging flash drought across northwestern Oklahoma. However, there is some optimism for the state according to the Climate Prediction Center's April outlooks.
These forecasts suggest increased chances of above-normal precipitation for all areas except the western Panhandle. Also, above-normal temperatures are anticipated across much of the same region. Additionally, the CPC's April drought outlook indicates the potential for improvement or complete removal of the current drought conditions in Oklahoma.
Today in history
1994
Violence erupts in Rwanda, foreshadowing genocide
On April 7, 1994, violence fuels the launch of what would become the worst episode of genocide since World War II: the massacre of an estimated 500,000 to 1 million innocent civilian Tutsis and moderate Hutus. Following the first wave of massacres, Rwandan forces manage to discourage international i... read more
19th CENTURY
1805
Lewis and Clark depart Fort Mandan
1950s
1953
Sweden’s Dag Hammarskjöld elected U.N. head
1960s
1963
Tito is made president of Yugoslavia for life
Art, Literature and Film History
1949
Tony-winning musical “South Pacific” opens on Broadway
1970
John Wayne wins Best Actor Oscar
Civil War
1862
Cold War
1954
President Eisenhower presents Cold War "domino theory"
Sports
1979
Astros' Ken Forsch pitches no-hitter, matching feat by his brother
U.S. Presidents
1961
JFK lobbies Congress to help save historic sites in Egypt
World War II
1945
Japanese battleship Yamato is sunk by Allied forces
A salute to my dentists
By RIX QUINN
Every morning when my mirror smiles back, I am grateful to two dentists who have helped me for decades.
Quinn Minute
They must be darn good, because thanks to regular visits I’ve retained excellent cuspids, bicuspids, plus a host of workable molars.
I am not the best patient. I nearly always brush my teeth at least once a day, and sometimes use toothpaste.
But I am an excellent flosser. I know this, because the hygienist complimented me the last visit when she dug junk food from my molars.
Over the years, dentists have worked miracles on two upper front incisors. I call these my “smile teeth.” Those are the first things people see when I greet them with a semi-sincere grin.
Problem is, in high school I was in a car wreck. Back then, there were no shoulder seat belts, so my front teeth slammed into the dashboard.
This left me with half an incisor…very noticeable when sipping a milkshake. But my amazing dentist quickly made me a crown, so I looked presentable enough to pose for senior pictures.
That crown held up for over 35 years, but it came off a few years ago when I bit into a sturdy dinner roll. My dentist got me scheduled late that day, and crafted a new crown that looks terrific.
Since then, I have taken much better care of my mouth. I bought a new toothbrush, and I have spent more time polishing my ivories.
And – some mornings after brushing -- I’m so impressed I think that if I was single…I would ask myself for a date.