Error-free Knights knock-off East Mills in softball

    TABOR - Kyle Fichter couldn’t have been happier to see “0” in his team’s box score.
    For the first time this season Fichter’s Knights didn’t commit an error and it proved the difference in an 11-1 win over East Mills in Corner Conference softball last Tuesday.
    “It’s been a long time coming; we’ve struggled with errors all season long,” said Fichter after the game. “Our hitting and base-running has been better than it has the last four or five years but our defense just hasn’t been there. We haven’t made plays. And they’re not outstanding plays, we’re missing routine plays. Tonight we didn’t.”
    The Knights (7-9 overall, 5-2 in the conference) wasted little time getting their offense going on the Wolverines (0-13 overall, 0-6 in the conference).
    Back-to-back triples by Taryn Williams and Kendall Fichter, a wild pitch and a couple of Wolverine fielding errors keyed a four run first inning for the Knights.
    In the third, the Knights went back to work with hits by Emily Smith, Madison Powers, Sydney Esary, Haylee Chamber, Kalyn Madison and Williams in a string of nine at-bats that put Fremont-Mills ahead 9-0.
    Five of the Knights hits were singles in the inning. The inning also featured two sacrifice hits and four stolen bases.
    “We seem to have one of those about every game,” Fichter said. “We just need to start putting two or three of those together. If we can get people on base, we’re extremely aggressive.”
    The lead was all Esary needed to go to work. The sophomore allowed just three hits, didn’t walk a batter and struck out three in the win.

    “She has pitched well all season,” said Fichter. “We’re 7-8 but that doesn’t reflect how well she’s pitched or really, how well we’ve hit or run bases. We’re inexperienced and we still make mistakes.”
    East Mills coach Jeff Laughlin thought the Knights’ third inning really did his team in.
    “They placed the ball well and we were slow reaction. It didn’t seem like we had a lot of girls who were ready to make a play,” Laughlin said.
    Madison, Williams, Kendall Fichter, and Powers each recorded two hits. Powers drove in three runs and Williams two. Elizabeth Madison was 1-for-3 with two RBIs.

Stanton 4,
Fremont-Mills 3
    Stanton scored a run in the bottom of the seventh inning to edge Fremont-Mills 4-3 in Corner Conference softball on Thursday.
    Sydney Esary recorded the loss for the Knights after allowing four hits, four three earned runs and striking out five.
    Kalyn Madison, Taryn Williams, Hanna Fichter, Olivia Scarborough, Elizabeth Madison and Esary each had a hit.

Wolverines 0-2 at Villisca triangular
    East Mills dropped both of its games at the Villisca Triangular last Wednesday.
    The Wolverines gave up four first inning runs in an 11-2 loss to the host Bluejays in game one. Essex also plated four first inning runs in a 12-2 win in the capper.
    Jessika Lynn , Joni Laughlin and Kelsey Croghan each had two hits in the triangular.

C.B. Thomas Jefferson 7,
Fremont-Mills 2
    Council Bluffs Thomas Jefferson’s Ashley Palandri held Fremont-Mills to three hits in a 7-2 victory last Monday.
    The Knights got hits from Kalyn Madison, Sydney Esary and Emily Smith.
    Esary took the loss in the circle allowing eight hits, six earned runs and striking out four.