American Legion Baseball: Kansas AA State Tournament
With two outs in the top of the seventh inning, starting pitcher Derek Bycroft stared at the final Marysville batter.
Seconds ago, he gave up his first hit of the game a double that barely missed the glove of Iola centerfielder Isaac Vink. With the no-hitter no longer in play, he focused.
A pitch led to a groundout to second baseman Blake Ashmore ending the game and securing the Post 15 Iola Indians fourth American Legion AA State Title on Saturday at Somerset Park in Sabetha.
After that, I just wasnt worried about the kid on second at all, Bycroft said. I was just worried about attacking the batter. I trusted my defense and threw a lot of strikes and when he hit that ground ball I knew Blake would make a good play and he did. Then we won state.
The title joins American Legion AA State Titles that the Indians won in 1988, 2012 and 2013.
The victory comes two months and three days after the Iola High School baseball team won their first ever state title. The unbridled glee and excitement that filled the field in Salina that day was much more subdued on Saturday.
They were happy. Very happy, even ecstatic. But the celebration was very much one of a person who climbs Mount Everest two months after doing it for the first time. Proud of the achievement but very much aware that theyve been there before and fully confident that theyd return sooner rather than later.
I think after you win one in high school you almost expect to win, Vink said. So its exciting and awesome and to do both in the same year within a couple months of each other, its incredible. Plus with Legion, you get a great opportunity to play on after state. So were still hungry for more.
This is our third year in a row coming here, Vink continued. The first year we were missing some guys and we lost our first two games and got bounced. Last year we made it all the way to the second championship game and that left us with a bitter taste in our mouth and so to finally do it now, its great. Its been three years in the making.
THE INDIANS played two games Friday, starting with an 8-3 win over Thomas Moore Prep-Marian from Hays.
Daylon Splane got his second start and win of the tournament, pitching five scoreless innings before allowing three runs to score in the bottom of the sixth which cut a previous 5-0 lead to 5-3.
The Indians responded right back with three runs in the top of the seventh thanks to a double from Splane, a single from Bycroft and a
sac-fly from Ashmore.
Iola hung on in the bottom of the inning and advanced to then sit around and watch as the other semi-final featuring a Silver
Lake team that beat Iola in the final game of pool play and a Marysville team that went undefeated in their pool.
