It had been more than a week since head coach Chris Weide and his Fillies softball team had taken the field.
Sure, they had tried. On Friday, they made it all of the way to the coaches meeting with the umpires prior to the first game of their series versus Chanute before having to huddle in the confines of the concrete football stadium due to a sudden downpour of rain.
That deluge ruined the field and canceled the game for the Fillies but the bonding experience from team members being stuck in the stadium while waiting out the worst of the rain, maybe proved to be just as valuable as the games.
Friday we were all disappointed that we couldnt play but we had a little rain delay and it was really kind of a bonding deal, Weide said. After that, I knew we were going to be OK. And weve had great practices all week.
On Tuesday, the Fillies picked up their first win of the season and went into extra innings trying to get a second versus Prairie View. Iola won game one 11-1 before falling 8-5 in 10 innings.
Weve talked since last week about having consistency, Weide said. Whether its hitting or pitching or defense or whatever and everyone managed to step up and do that today. I could go through the whole team and have something good to say. Everyone contributed.
The Fillies (1-3) nearly pulled off a five-inning run rule in game one. They went into the fifth inning up 10-0 but allowed Prairie View their only run in the top of the inning to push the game one more frame.
Freshman Reece Curry was great in her home pitching debut, going six innings while allowing just one run in game one before pitching eight scoreless innings in game two between two bad, bookend innings.
She pitched two great games all of the way through, Weide said.
Senior Mia Aronson led the way in game one with three hits followed by two from junior Kelsey Morrison, sophomore Becca Sprague and sophomore Lauryn Holloway.
Game two started horrendously.
Prairie View eeked out a run early in the top of the first before exploding on an inside-the-park grand slam to take an early 5-0 lead.
But the Fillies, to their credit, stayed calm.
We just told them not to panic and that its a long ballgame, Weide said. And to their credit, they did just that and got back in the ballgame.
Two runs in the second inning followed by two more in the fourth got the Fillies right back in it while Murray kept the Buffalos off the board.
A two-out double by junior Nissa Fountain tied the game up at five in the bottom of the seventh, which sent the game into extra innings.
In the eighth, Iola had their best shot at winning.
