High School Baseball: Mustangs 11, Bulldogs 1; Bulldogs 6, Mustangs 4
For the first time in what seems like forever, the Mustangs didnt have it.
Thursdays split versus Independence (11-1 win, 6-4 loss) to end the regular season marked exactly eight weeks to the day since Iola opened its season with a road 4-3 loss to Chanute. In that time, they won games of all sorts. Close games, blowouts and close games that felt like blowouts thanks to Iolas pitching and defense.
It had gotten to the point that the Mustangs loss to Chanute, which was then separated from the rest of the season by nearly a month of postponements thanks to bad weather, seemed almost like an aberration. A mirage. A desert in the middle of an oasis.
But, the loss to start the regular season was joined by a loss to end the regular season and it was all too real. An 18-game winning streak had ended.
It just wasnt a very good night, head coach Mark Percy said. We realize it. Come Monday, well be ready to get back out there. We have to play better than this or else were not going to state, Ill tell you that. Were more than good enough to make it but weve got to come out and play.
Signs of the struggle came early in game one, despite Iolas hitting getting hot late and run-ruling the Bulldogs in the fifth inning.
Independence took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first and held that until the bottom of the second when Iola scored two to jump ahead. The Mustangs then scored five and four in the fourth and fifth to promptly put the game away.
We got off to a real slow start in the first game, Percy said. We were lethargic and we didnt have a bunch of life. We did that both games. We finally came around in the end but we really struggled.
Starter Derek Bycroft got the win in the three innings he pitched, allowing just a run on two hits and three walks. He struck out two. Sophomore Cal Leonard closed out the final two innings and allowed nothing.
Sophomore Calvin Delich led the way with three hits and senior Isaac Vink, junior Blake Ashmore, Leonard and Bycroft each had two.
IN GAME TWO the struggles that plagued Iola in the first of game one absolutely sunk them.
The Mustangs faced their largest deficit of the season after the Bulldogs scored two runs in the second, third and fourth innings to take a commanding 6-0 lead after 3.5 innings.
I dont know what the deal is but we just didnt come to play, Percy said. We couldnt hit the ball and it wasnt like we were facing anyone overpowering in either game. And now were also back to leaving guys on after having them on second and third with one out. We have a poor at-bat with a strikeout and a pop-out in the field. You just cant do that, those situations are huge momentum deals.
Iola left 10 runs on the basepaths in game two.
The Mustangs scored their first run in the bottom of the fourth and started to get things going in the bottom of the sixth with two runs to cut Independences lead down to three.
Despite a rough first four innings defensively with three errors that cost Iola the first four of the Bulldogs runs, things began to tighten up.
