WELLSVILLE — Stop us if you’ve heard this before.
Iola High’s softball team followed a familiar route to get to victory Tuesday, with rock-solid pitching, aggressive baserunning and more than a few flashes of spectacular defense.
Tack on the ability to get runners home, particularly with two outs, and you have the recipe for what is now a nine-game winning streak after Iola dumped host Wellsville, 5-0 and 8-4.
“It’s fun to watch,” IHS head coach Chris Weide said. “This is a good group.”
A pair of two-out rallies in the opener led to all five runs for the Fillies in Game 1 in support of starting pitcher Reece Murry, who struck out 11 and allowed just two hits in her complete game shutout.
The Fillies jumped ahead, 2-0, in the top of the first after Wellsville retired the first two batters. Murry and Kailey Schinstock hit back-to-back singles, then moved up a base on a passed ball and came around to score on Lauryn Holloway’s single up the middle.
Murry then fended off Wellsville’s early scoring opportunity, after the Eagles took advantage of an error and two walks to load the bases with one out in their half of the first.
Undaunted, Murry struck out the next two batters to snuff the rally.
Things settled down for both teams from there, until Chloe Sell and Jenna Curry singled in the top of the fifth to set the stage for Schinstock, who blasted a 3-0 pitch over the center field fence for a three-run home run.
That was more than enough for Murry, who allowed a one-out single in the third and a bunt single in the bottom of the sixth, and nothing else.
“Once again, Reece Murry was great,” Weide said. “And when the opportunity was there, we made plays, offensively and defensively.”
Schinstock went 2-for-3 with two runs and three RBIs. Holloway singled twice. Curry, Murry and Sell added one single apiece.
JENNA Miller took the mound in game two, and settled in nicely after a tough first inning in which the Eagles took advantage of three singles and an error to take a 3-2 lead.
That was after Schinstock doubled in Aysha Houk in the top of the first, followed by Holloway’s sac fly to score Curry.
And Iola didn’t take long to respond after Wellsville took the 3-2 lead.
Zareona Pulley and Jenna Miller started off the second with singles. Pulley scored on a Wellsville error to knot the score at 3-3. Curry then drove in pinch runner Andi Reynolds with a ground ball to give Iola the lead for good.
