ALTAMONT — Iola High’s junior varsity softball and baseball teams opened the 2010 season Monday against host Labette County High’s teams.
Junior varsity games are five innings in the Southeast Kansas League.
The Fillies notched a 10-1 win in the opener behind the four-hit pitching of sophomore Breail Thompson. Thompson walked two and recorded nine strikeouts.
Iola had 10 hits in the contest. The Fillies scored two runs in the first and four more in the second. They added three runs in the fourth and one more in the fifth to lead 10-0.
Labette County got its run in the bottom of the fifth.
Sophomore Lauren Toney had a single and a double and freshmen Caitlyn Callaway and Reagan Ford each had two singles. Hitting a single each were B. Thompson, junior Lacy Sigg and freshmen Libby Shay and Kayla Knavel.
Toney and Callaway had back-to-back base hits to open the game. Then with one out, B. Thompson and Sigg drew consecutive walks to force in a run. A two-out single by Knavel brought in another run.
In the second inning, Toney and Callaway drew walks with one out and Shay singled. B. Thompson walked then with two out freshman Katie Thompson walked. Iola led 6-0 at the end of the inning.
Callaway started off the fourth with a base hit. Sigg singled with two gone then K. Thompson and Knavel reached via walks. Ford singled to drive in two runs.
Iola final run came on a double by Toney in the fifth. B. Thompson singled with two out.
“Our bats were going pretty well,” said Casey Greenwood, Fillies’ assistant coach. “The girls got their jitters out of the way.”
The Fillies scored a run in the first of the second game. That was it as they lost 6-1. B. Thompson took the pitching loss, allowing nine hits, walking one and hitting three batters. She had three strikeouts.
Iola only had four hits in the game. Two singles were by Shay. B. Thompson and freshman Holly Schomaker had a single each.
Shay singled with two gone in the first and B. Thompson’s single drove her home.
“Breail pitched awesome for us both games. In the second game, after Reagan, our catcher, injured her knee stealing second base, it was hard for the girls to adjust,” said Greenwood.
“It was a good learning experience and I’m proud of them.”
THE MUSTANGS had two good outings in junior varsity play also. Despite losing 1-0 and 3-1, IHS assistant coach Steve Taylor was pleased with the play on the field.
“We played very well for the first time out and after only two outside practices,” Taylor said.
“We made some nice plays defensively and our pitchers threw well.”
It took an extra inning for Labette County to beat the Mustangs 1-0 in the opener. The Grizzlies plated the run in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Jarred Latta, a sophomore, pitched for Iola. He allowed four hits and four walks plus struck out eight.
Sophomore Braden Larson had two singles. Freshman Tyler Clubine singled and doubled. Freshman Eric Heffern singled.
The Mustangs took a 1-0 lead in the first inning of the second game. With one out, freshman Mason Coons, senior Michael Anderson and sophomore Devon Conner had consecutive base hits. That produced the one run.
Unfortunately, that was all Iola could score. Labette County scored twice in the second and once in the third to win 3-1.
Coons went the distance on the mound for Iola. He surrendered six hits, walked one, hit one batter and struck out eight.
Coons and Anderson each had two singles. Conner and freshman Tyler Tomlinson each had a single.
The next junior varsity games are April 6 with Chanute at Iola.
