CHANUTE It had been more than a year since Ethan Tavarez had hit a home run. He last sent a ball flying over the wall during the 2017 high school baseball season in a game versus Santa Fe Trail and even as it flew he didnt expect it to clear the wall.
On Sunday, Tavarez broke that homerless streak in the Post 15 Indians final game of the Paul Lindblad Jr. Tournament at Katy Park in Chanute and just like his last home run, it kind of snuck up on him.
I wasnt expecting it, Tavarez said. The first pitch was a fastball down the gut. I swung like I normally do and it got in the air and then the wind helped me out a little bit. I didnt think it was going to be gone but I saw it go over and everyone in the dugout get happy. That was a big moment for me.
Tavarez was a part of a more concerted offensive effort from the Indians over the weekend where they not only rolled, they dominated starting with a 14-4 win over Bartlesville, Okla. on Friday, a 15-4 win over Osawatomie and a 14-0 win over El Dorado on Saturday and a final 9-4 victory over Linn County on Sunday.
With the tournament sweep, the Indians record improves to 8-2 on the season with four games left before the Zone tournament in mid-July. The Indians are riding a six-game win streak and seem to have found the level of play many of them left on the field in Salina after winning the 4A-II State Championship.
I told the team after the game that our approach at the plate is completely different, head coach Levi Ashmore said. We look like a completely different team. We know were going to be able to pitch the ball well and play good defense but whats going to make or break us is having really good at-bats and every single kid did. It was a good weekend.
ERRORS abounded for Bartlesville in the Post 15 Indians tournament opener. Nearly every aspect they could have struggled in they did, leading Iola to accumulate a 12-0 lead after three innings.
The Indians were patient at the plate, grabbing multiple walks including three straight to open the third inning followed by a big Tavarez double to score two of them.
Individual stats were unavailable for this game.
The Mustangs jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in game two on Saturday morning versus familiar foe Osawatomie. Oz battled right back though and put up two runs in the bottom of the inning to get within a run.
Iola didnt allow them to stay within striking distance for long though as five runs in the second and six more in the fourth kept thoughts of an Osawatomie rally far away.
Isaac Vink had a single and a triple, Lance Daniels doubled, Tavarez had two singles, Rogers had two singles and a double, Conor Haviland had a double and Casen Barker had a single in the win.
The Indians got off to an even quicker start in their game versus El Dorado in which they batted around the lineup in the first inning and scored seven runs.
El Dorado didnt have any answers for Iola on either side as Leonards pitching stymied any semblance of offense they could put up. Leonard grabbed the shutout while striking out seven in four innings.
Iola went on to score two more in the second, one in the third and four in the fourth to seal the run-rule victory.
