LACYGNE — Iola High’s Fillies couldn’t overcome Osawatomie’s early lead in a 11-6 loss for third place of the Pioneer League Tournament Tuesday.
“This is a team we beat twice earlier,” IHS head coach Vince Coons said. “We start coming around, then we have issues letting runners move around. Then we have to get additional outs that we can’t give up.”
The Trojans scored two runs in both the first and second inning to take a 4-0 lead. In the third, Iola got on the board. Taylor Heslop reached on an infield single to the pitcher. Ashlie Shields kept things going with a single.
Halie Cleaver then attempted a sacrifice bunt to move the runners over. She did her job and then some, as a wild throw to first allowed both runners to score and put her on third. Hannah Endicott then had an RBI single.
The Fillies weren’t able to keep the score close the rest of the game. In the fourth another Trojan runner came around to score. The fifth inning resulted in three more runs. The Fillies mustered up their final run when Heslop made it to third, and scored on a wild pitch.
The Trojans scored three more runs between the sixth and seventh to take an 11-4 lead.
Iola tried to start a seventh-inning rally. Ashlie Shields hit a triple. Cleaver reached on an error by the third baseman. Then, a wild pitch allowed Shields to score and Cleaver to move to second. After Endicott drew a walk, a wild pitch moved her and Cleaver both into scoring position.
With one out, Shelby Reno hit into a fielders choice to first base, which allowed Cleaver to score.
Iola did have some great defensive plays in the game, particularly coming from the glove and arm of Reno at third. She turned two double plays. One came in the fourth inning, as she fielded a ball down the third base line, tagged the base and rifled the ball to first for the second out. She started another double play, by again fielding a ball down the third base line, but this time throwing the ball to Shields at second for the first out, who then threw the runner out at first.
“She is good about touching that bag, turning around and making that throw (to first) especially for a left-handed third baseman,” Coons said.
Iola will play next week at the Class 4A Regional Tournament in Garnett. Seedings have not yet been announced.
