CARBONDALE — Iola High’s softball team had its hands full Tuesday against Santa Fe Trail pitcher Kaelee Washington. “She’s one of the best pitchers I’ve seen in all my years of coaching,” IHS head coach Chris Weide said.
Washington pitched a game for the ages, retiring all 21 Iola batters — 17 by strikeout — in a 4-0 win.
Iola’s offense picked up a tick in the second game, but a few too many lapses turned into an 8-1 defeat.
The losses dropped Iola to 9-9 to wrap up the regular season, but with Weide still bullish on his team’s chances entering the Class 4A playoffs.
“If we play the way we’re capable of, we can win some games at regionals,” Weide said.
Fortunately, the Mustangs won’t have to tangle with Santa Fe Trail — or its sophomore ace — until next season. That’s because Santa Fe Trail is in Class 3A.
“Thank goodness,” Weide said. “That’s a good team.”
The opener was a good, old-fashioned pitchers’ duel between Washington and Iola’s Reece Murry before a pair of singles to open the fourth turned into a two-run Charger rally. Murry ended the rally with a pair of strikeouts, but a pair of walks turned into two more SFT runs in the fifth.
That was all Murry allowed. She allowed six hits with nine strikeouts.
IOLA missed out on a golden scoring opportunity to start the second game. Jenna and Reece Curry each walked with two out, and Chloe Sell was hit by a pitch to load the bases. But a strikeout ended the threat.
The Chargers responded with a two-out rally in the first, then tacked on two more runs in the second.
“Maci Miller started for us, and she pitched well,” Weide said.
Miller allowed seven hits over four innings with a pair of strikeouts.
Santa Fe Trail tacked on two more runs in the fifth before Iola broke into the scoring column.
Sell singled to lead off the sixth with a single before coming around to score on Elza Clift’s double.
Miah Shelby had Iola’s only other hit, a leadoff single in the fifth. She stole second and third before Jenna Curry walked, but a ground-ball ended that scoring opportunity.
