PAOLA — Iola High’s Fillies did not go quietly in Monday’s opening round of the 2012 Kansas Class 4A Regional Softball Tournament.
They led third-seeded Fort Scott High’s Tigers 2-1 after two and a half innings and were up 3-2 going into the bottom of the fourth. The Tigers roared back to take a 12-3 by the fifth inning.
With two gone in the sixth, Libby Shay singled then scored on a double by Caitlyn Callaway for the Fillies.
Iola would score four runs in the top of the seventh. Hallie Cleaver, Holloway Schomaker, Breail Thompson and Hannah Endicott had consecutive singles for the Fillies after one was gone in the inning.
Shay reached on a Fort Scott error with two outs and Callaway had a RBI single.
“I’m very proud of the girls. If we weren’t going to win the game, we did make Fort Scott sweat a bit late in the game,” said Vince Coons, Fillies’ head coach after the Fillies lost 12-8.
Breail Thompson, senior pitcher, took the loss. She gave up 15 hits, walked two and struck out three. Coons pointed out that the Iola defense only had three errors in the game.
Down 1-0, Shay drew a leadoff walk in the top of the third inning and Callaway singled and an error allowed the tying run score. Senior third-baseman Lauren Toney singled in a run to put Iola up 2-1.
Fort Scott tied the game in the bottom of the third. The Fillies came right back to grab the lead, 3-2. Breail Thompson doubled and Mackenzie Weseloh reached on a one-out error. Shay drew a walk to load the bases and Callaway was out with a fly ball and Katie Thompson was hit by a pitch.
Then the Tiger hitters began finding the gaps and hitting the ball hard. They scored five runs in their half of the fourth, highlighted by a three-run home run by Mackenzie Jackman — a hit that went to the fence.
Fort Scott added five more runs in the fifth.
Endicott was 3-for-4 at the plate for Iola with three singles. Callaway connected for two singles and a double and Breail Thompson had a single and a double. Shay hit two singles.
Hitting a single each were Toney, Cleaver and Schomaker.
The Fillies finish at 4-15 for the 2012 season. They were 2-12 in their final run through the Southeast Kansas League. Iola goes to the Pioneer League next year.
