Kilhoffer tosses no-hitter in Lady Knights’ Opening Day win
Henryetta’s Shelby Kilhoffer was near perfect in the circle Monday evening against the visiting Checotah Lady Wildcats.
The junior right-hander allowed just two baserunners in five innings of work in the Lady Knights’ 9-0 run-rule win.
The no-hit shutout came on the Lady Knights’ 2022 fastpitch softball season opener at the Henryetta high school softball field.
The Henryetta diamond squad was also scheduled to battle Okmulgee County rival Preston on Monday, but the county showdown was canceled due to heavy lightning near the softball field.
The Lady Knights were back in action on Tuesday with a District 3A-7 meeting with the Haskell Lady Haymakers at the Henryetta softball field.
In Monday’s season opener against Checotah, the Henryetta offense got the scoring started with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first for an early 2-0 advantage.
The Lady Knights erupted for five runs in their half of the second to extend their lead to 7-0, then put the finishing touches on the shutout win with two runs in the home half of the fourth.
Offensively, the Henryetta diamond squad totaled nine runs on seven hits and took advantage of two defensive miscues by the visiting Lady Wildcats.
Kilhoffer was the top hitter for the Lady Knights in the Opening Day victory, finishing 3 for 3 with 2 RBIs and was a triple shy of hitting for the cycle. Kilhoffer singled in the first, had an RBI double in the second, and blasted a solo home run in the fourth for her 3-hit performance.
The other base hits for Henryetta in the shutout win came on a single by Skylar Morris, a double by Kinley Miller, an RBI single by McKayla Greenhaw, and a 3-run home run in the second by Serenity Rex. The roundtripper for Rex in the second was the first home run of the freshman’s high school career.
Other baserunners for the Lady Knights on Monday were Greenhaw (walk), Ailanee Hicks (hit by pitch), and Winter Beaver (error). Rex drove in the first Henryetta run of the 2022 campaign with an RBI groundout in the first. Hicks followed with an RBI groundout of her own in the opening frame for her first high school RBI.
The only baserunners Kilhoffer allowed to reach in her five shutout innings came on walks in the second and fifth innings to the opposing pitcher Hailey Prince.
--- Henryetta 9, Checotah 0
Checotah:0-0-0-0-0 0-0-2 Henryetta:2-5-0-2-x 9-7-0 WP: Shelby Kilhoffer LP: Hailey Prince HR: Henryetta: Serenity Rex, Shelby Kilhoffer
