MUSKOGEE — Muskogee High School’s Boo Syrus’ hit scored Tahlequah’s Shelbi Bowin and Muskogee teammate Alyssa Wagner as the North team beat the South team in Thursday’s Green Country Classic softball game, 7-5 in Muskogee.

Five Cherokee County girls played in the game including Tahlequah’s Bowin, Sesily Whitmore and Kenzee Stopp as well as Sequoyah’s Lorin Hammer for the North while Keys’ Jami Neff played for the losing South team.

With the game tied at 5, North started the top of the ninth inning with two quick outs as Jenks’ Lisa Ripperger and Tulsa Union’s Paige Johnson both hit ground outs.

Bowin then hit a single, followed up by Wagner’s single. Hammer reached base on a fielder’s choice after the South shortstop tried to get Bowin out at third base. Bowin was safe, loading the bases for Syrus who’s single allowed Bowin and Wagner to score, giving North a 7-5 lead.

The South team then went down quietly in the bottom of the ninth as only one runner reached base.

“In the state tournament, we lost,” Sequoyah senior Hammer said. “It’s better to go out with a win right here in the all-star game then losing.”

Hammer will be going to Mercer University in the fall for basketball. She finished the game 0-for-3 with a walk.

Bowin also ended her high school career on Thursday, but she will be playing softball at Northeastern State University. Bowin went 2-3 with a run scored.

In the third inning, after a flyout to start the inning, Bowin earned a one-out walk. She was out at second base after Wagner appeared to hit into a double play, however instead of a the double play being completed, Bowin was hit in the head with the throw to first base after being put out at second, allowing Wagner to reach first safely. Hammer followed with a ground out to second base to end the inning though.

“At first it didn’t hurt, but then it started throbbing,” Bowin said. “It’s kind of squishy now. I wasn’t expecting it at all. That’s never happened to me before.”

The North team scored four runs in the top of the first inning. Tahlequah senior Whitmore hit an RBI single and herself scored in the inning. Whitmore finished the game 1-3.

The South cut the lead down to 4-3 with three runs in the second inning before the North tacked on another run in the fourth as Stopp’s RBI single allowed Haskell’s Savannah Moats to score, giving North a 5-3 lead. Stopp was 1-3.

However, South tied the score at five thanks to a two-run sixth and the score stayed like that until the ninth inning.

Neff finished the game 0-2, but said she was happy just to be there.

“It was a great way to end,” Neff said. “I didn’t even know I was up for it, somebody just told me I had no idea. Hopefully I did as good as everybody else. At least I got to play all nine innings.”