By Byron Beers/Staff Writer

Continuity seems to be paying big dividends for El Reno High School’s varsity softball program.

Second-year head coach Lynetta Keller is the fourth coach to lead the Indians in the past six years.

But under Keller, the Indians have made significant progress.

Thursday, the Indians won their second straight game to give El Reno a 2-0 start to the 2006 season, blanking Weatherford 8-0 in their home opener.

Keller’s squad opened the season with a 5-1 victory at Noble earlier in the week.

El Reno also knows now it has two quality starting pitchers in senior Bre Carpenter and sophomore Ashlea Hill.

Hill tossed a complete-game shutout against Weatherford, allowing just two hits in six innings of work. She finished with five strikeouts and issued four walks.

Carpenter also surrendered just two hits in her win over Noble. The left-hander struck out nine through seven innings and gave up one earned run.

“I thought she pitched very well,” Keller said of Hill’s outing. “Her outside curve kept them off balanced and when she got down in the count she did a very good job of coming back.”

Weatherford’s biggest threat for a big inning came during the sixth when Hill issued back-to-back walks, but she got a lift from her defense on a double play.

“She got a little relaxed there late with a big lead and started to get fatigued,” Keller said.

Keller is not surprised by her team’s quick start after seeing her team perform at a high level over the summer.

“We should do well and this is what I expected from this team to open the season,” she said.

The Indians will resume play with a 6:30 p.m. start Monday when they host Western Heights. They will wrap up their three-game home stand on Tuesday in a matchup against Carl Albert.

The El Reno bats have also come out in full swing.

The Indians jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the second inning over the Lady Eagles and never looked back.

Kellie Mogg knocked in the first run with an infield single, scoring sophomore Summer Blackowl. Blackowl started the inning with an infield hit of her own.

After Mogg scored on a Weatherford miscue, Carpenter tripled to right field, driving in both Angelique Johnson and Jasmine Gore to cap the four-run inning.

El Reno, which collected nine hits, added a run in the fifth and three more in the sixth and won by result of a run-rule.

Mogg drove in her second run of the contest with another infield single during the fifth inning.

In the sixth, Blackowl singled to center to score Andrea Dyer and Connor Bushyhead, and Hill ended the game on an RBI triple to left, bringing home Blackowl.

Blackowl, Hill and Mogg each had multi-hit games for the Indians.

Mogg finished by going a perfect 3-for-3, while Blackowl and Hill each recorded two hits apiece. Blackowl scored three runs to pace El Reno.

“I was pleased with what we got accomplished offensively,” Keller said. “We made good contact at the plate and had some big hits.”

Weatherford’s only hits off Hill came during the second and fifth innings.

All five of Hill’s strikeouts were recorded in the first three innings. She fanned two in both the first and third.