HUMBOLDT — As the 2021 softball season heads down the home stretch, Iola High’s Fillies have emerged as a team nobody will want to tangle with in the postseason.
Iola picked up a pair of hard-fought victories, 3-0 and 10-6, over Neodesha Thursday, pushing the Fillies over .500 for the season.
After starting the year with six straight losses, IHS has rattled off seven straight wins.
Thursday’s wins, coming against a Blustreaks team that entered the day with an 11-2 mark, may have been Iola’s most impressive.
“This was a good night,” Filllies head coach Chris said. “That’s a good team, a solid team we beat. They don’t give up.”
The Fillies jumped out immediately in the opener, with a three-run first inning against Neodesha starter Amy Smith.
Jenna Curry and Reece Murry hit back-to-back one-out singles, before Kailey Schinstock drilled a two-run triple. Lauryn Holloway then ripped a grounder back up the middle for a base hit to score Schinstock.
Iola missed on a couple of scoring chances after that, stranding a pair of runners to end the inning, as well as runners in scoring position in the third, fourth and fifth innings, but it mattered not a whit for Murry, who was dominant on the mound.
Murry improved to 4-0 on the season, and lowered her ERA to 1.53 with the complete-game shutout. She scattered four hits and struck out 13.
Just as importantly, her lightning pace between pitches kept the Fillies fielders on their toes, Weide noted.
“Our confidence when she throws is just unreal,” he said. “We know she’s throwing strikes and is going to get some strikeouts. It gives the whole team confidence, and it makes them more aggressive on defense. She does an amazing job and it gets the girls to do an amazing job.”
Schinstock led the offense with two hits, including a triple, while Maci Miller singled twice. Aysha Houk, Curry, Murry and Chloe Sell all had singles.
“That Smith girl is a great ballplayer,” Weide said. “I don’t know where she’ll play after high school, but she’s gonna be playing somewhere.”
THE TONE FOR the second game was set in the top of the second.
Iola trailed 2-0, and Neodesha was threatening to extend the lead with a runner on second when Sell hauled in a spectacular catch off the bat of Chaynee Johnson for the third out.
The reinvigorated Fillies then responded with back-to-back doubles by Holloway and Maci Miller to lead off the third. Sell then evened the score with a single through the right side to score Miller.
