RICHMOND — Up 12-5 heading into the bottom of the seventh, Iola looked as if they were about to get the first win in the first game of the season Tuesday night. However, a series of unfortunate events that included multiple fielding errors turned the game on its head and gave the Vikings the win 13-12.
“We outplayed them the first six innings, that’s the frustrating thing,” coach Melissa Stiffler said. “The seventh inning just got into our heads. That’s one thing that you have to overcome, that’s thinking. When you start to get down, thoughts just kill you. We played better up until then, I thought. We were way ahead, up at nine at one point.”
Until the bottom of the seventh, the Fillies offense looked great. In the fifth inning, the team scored seven runs. Riley Murray hit a triple, Katie Shields followed with a single, Taylor Sell also hit a single, Shelby Reno had a double, Scout Rush hit a single and Jaydn Sigg had a single in the inning alone. Each one of them came around to score.
Although the team lost, the Fillies bounced back strong in the second game, 11-9. Down 6-2 in the top of the sixth inning, Iola stormed back for the tie. With the tying run on second, Ashlie Shields nailed a pitch to the outfield and came around for the inside-the-park home run. Iola loaded the bases shortly after, and a walk sent in the leading run. Iola held a 7-6 lead.
“We didn’t let them get up ahead of us as much,” Stiffler said. “I liked that when we were down by four we said, ‘No, we’re not going to let them steal another one from us.’ So, that’s what they were saying in the dugout and I’m happy with that. It was team initiated. They’ve got some potential I think.”
In the top of the seventh, the Fillies added to it. Ashlie Shields hit a ball to the right fielder, who dropped it. A run scored on the play and Shields ended up at third base. Sigg followed with an RBI-double. She then came into score on a wild pitch. Riley Murray gave the Fillies one more insurance run with an RBI-single.
Iola held an 11-6 lead going into the bottom of the seventh. The Vikings did manage to score three runs, but Baylea Thompson was able to pitch out of the jam to get the win.
Despite losing the first game, the Fillies offense was strong the entire day.
“I noticed in practice yesterday that if we could connect like we did in practice, we would be okay,” Stiffler said. “We did. We had like two or three [softballs] almost go over the fence.”
Iola (1-1) hosts Prairie View next Tuesday.
Fillies regroup after tough loss
