High School Softball: Bulldogs 21, Fillies 1; Bulldogs 14, Fillies 1
The Iola softball team played its first of three makeup series on Thursday when it hosted former-SEK league-foe Independence. The Fillies were swept in three and five innings in the series losing 21-1 and 14-1.
Iola drops to 1-3 this season.
We knew coming in that they were one of the best teams in big 4A, head coach Chris Weide said. Theyll probably be the best team we play all year. We knew that if we didnt play almost perfect softball against them, then wed struggle.
There wasnt much to take from the first game. Independence got out to an 8-0 first inning and the Bulldogs added five more runs in the top of the second to take a 13-0 lead.
The Fillies got their lone run across in the bottom of the second but eight Independence runs in the top of the third and a scoreless bottom of the third for Iola triggered the run-rule.
Sophomore starter Sadrie Overall went the three innings allowing 21 runs but only six were earned. Independence had 17 hits and was walked once.
Iola committed 11 errors.
The Fillies recorded one hit in the game.
In the second game, things got off to a much better start for the Fillies.
Independence put up two in the top of the first and then four more in the top of the second inning, but for the most part the Fillies were avoiding the big inning despite only being able to get one run across.
After a scoreless third, the Fillies managed to get two outs on Independence without them scoring again.
But a ball hit right in the middle of first and second was dropped and instead of tagging the runner right by the ball, it was thrown back to first base allowing Independence to score. They put up seven runs in the inning after that play and set the game on a track for a run-rule.
We talked to them at the beginning of the year about minimizing mistakes and avoiding the big inning, Weide said. So when theyre going to give us an out, we need to take it. Thats what you have to do against a team like this to avoid a seven or eight-run inning. Thats something I need to emphasize more.
Independence scored another run in the top of the fifth but the Fillies avoided spiraling out of control.
They really came out and fought the whole game, Weide said. And even though we lost by 10, they showed great effort. The defense was better and they kind of put something together there that we can build on going forward.
