(Tabor) -- Fremont-Mills softball shook off some nerves and used a six-run fifth to pull away for a 10-1 win over East Mills in Class 1A Region 3 First Round action on Friday.
The Knights (15-14) finished a three-game season sweep of the Wolverines, getting a complete game effort from Malea Moore.
“I was really comfortable with everything she was doing,” Fremont-Mills coach Kyle Fichter said of Moore’s performance. “Everything was working early, so we stuck with what was working.”
Moore allowed just five hits and struck out five in nabbing her 12th win of the season.
“Honestly, I was just putting it across the plate,” Moore said. “Letting my defense do the work. I put all my trust in them.”
While the final score appeared lopsided, there were some shaky moments early for the Knights, which fell behind 1-0 after East Mills’ Cloe Brown drove in Aspen Crouse with two outs in the top of the second. The hit was Brown’s third and the RBI was her first of the season.
“I think the girls felt tight,” Coach Fichter said. “I was tight. Coach (Greg) Ernster and I felt tight. We didn’t verbalize it or anything, but you could see it in their play. It was the third time we played them, so it was kind of expected.”
“It was definitely nerve-racking, especially as the only senior,” Moore added. “We put our trust in each other, and we knew we could do it.”
The deficit didn’t last long. Fremont-Mills put together a two-run rally in the second, getting hits from Saige Mitchell and Amanda Morgan and taking advantage of two East Mills’ errors. They added two more in the third thanks to two more hits, another error, two walks and a hit batter. However, the Knights left the bases loaded in both innings.
After going 1-2-3 in the fourth, they finally found their big inning in the fifth. After consecutive errors put Kinley Blackurn and Mitchell on base, Emily Kesterson added a single and 8th grader Sophia Chambers delivered a big pinch-hit two-run double.
“She got hurt two weeks ago, so we’re slowly bringing her back,” Fichter said of Chambers. “She had a knee problem, but she has been a good hitter for us. She’s played a lot of softball in her career, and we knew we could count on her.”
Chambers’ hit opened up the floodgates with Addison Brandt and Lily Crom also driving in runs in the game-changing rally. That was more than enough for Moore to virtually cruise in the final two frames.
The Knights got plenty of production from the middle to lower third of their order with the Nos. 5 through 8 hitters — Blackburn, Mitchell, Kesterson and Morgan — combining on four hits, six runs and 13 times on base.
Fremont-Mills advances to play CAM in a regional quarterfinal on Wednesday back in Tabor.
“We played CAM a couple years ago,” Fichter said. “We’re not regular opponents, but I know they have good pitching and play in a tough conference. We’re going to have to bring our A game, keep down on the errors and give ourselves a shot.”
The Fremont-Mills/CAM matchup can be heard Wednesday on the KMAX-Strea at 7:00. Check out complete video interviews with Coach Fichter and Moore below.
