High School Softball: Lady Bulldogs 6, Fillies 4
LaCYGNE Iola softballs dream of an improbable run to state proved to be just that Tuesday as the Fillies season ended in the opening round of the 4A-II Prairie View regional tournament.
Iola fell 6-4 to an Anderson County team they had split with back on April 10.
The Fillies finish the season at 6-15.
Todays game was a lot like this softball season, head coach Chris Weide said. There were a lot of ups and downs and the girls fought hard, but in the end, we just came up short. It was definitely a disappointing way to end the season.
In the end, we just didnt make enough plays, he said.
Anderson County, who was the three-seed in the tournament, jumped out to an early 2-0 lead but the Fillies countered with three runs in the bottom of the third to take a 3-2 advantage.
That did not last long, though, as the Lady Bulldogs scored four runs in the top of the fourth to retake their lead at 6-3.
Iola got a final run across in the bottom of the fifth but couldnt get anything going in the last two innings to complete the comeback.
Freshman starter Jenna Miller took the loss, allowing six runs on 12 hits and a walk. She struck out five.
Shes been a solid starter since mid-season and has given us a chance to win every game she has pitched in, Weide said. She has done a great job on the mound.
Junior Paige Burrough led the way offensively, going 4-4 at the plate while sophomore Gabby Richards chipped in three hits and an RBI of her own.
Burrough has become very solid on the offensive side, Weide said. She did an excellent job in the leadoff spot and Richards also played a great game in center field, and showed some great leadership.
The Fillies will lose just one senior starter third baseman Chloe Gardner but Weide said her loss will most definitely be felt.
The saddest part of tonight wasnt the loss, Weide said. It was talking to the girls after the game and having Chloe Gardner in your huddle for the last time. That girl is the best third baseman in the league and a great leader on and off the field. She comes to practice every day, works hard and is a great example to everyone she comes in contact with. She is definitely a class act and will be missed by everyone on this team.
The returning Fillies are primarily freshmen and sophomores with several juniors sprinkled in. With their growth in addition to some players rejoining the team after missing this season due to injury, Weide sees a bright future for the Fillies program.
Its hard to look forward to next year after a loss like this, but we have a ton of quality girls returning next year and some really good softball players coming up, Weide said. Add in a few girls who were injured this year and things look pretty solid for next season. The best thing is that there are enough quality players who will challenge for every spot. There was one girl who had a spot locked down this year and she just graduated, and that means there are nine varsity spots that are wide open. Come next March, the best nine players will be on the field, well just have to figure out who they are.
