The Iola Mustangs made quick work of the Parsons Vikings in Tuesday’s non-league contest at Alumni Park.
Junior pitcher Austin Crooks threw a four-inning perfect game before giving the mound to junior reliever Brock Michael and leaving to assist the IHS 4×400 track team take second in the Marv Smith Invitational across town at Riverside Park.
Crooks picked up the win with six strikeouts before departing. He also tied for second in RBIs with a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning. Tuesday’s RBI leader, senior first baseman Tre Wilson, drove in both of his runs in the third inning while putting Iola on the scoreboard after a scoreless first and second inning.
In the fourth inning, senior outfielder Jakolby Hill’s fly-ball to right field forced an error and, in the process, plated a pair of runners to extend Iola’s advantage to 4-0, then scored on a Michael single.
Following an RBI single by junior catcher Kale Pratt in the fifth inning, Hill struck again with an RBI single to pull Iola within a pair of runs of a mercy rule.
An error on a shallow blooper from Michael allowed those runs to score and Iola to trot into the dugout for an early night.
Wilson tied Pratt and sophomore outfielder Reed Clift for the team lead in hits with two each. Hill and Michael had one each.
With the win, the Mustangs improved their record to 10-3 and extended their win streak to seven games.
They return to the diamond Thursday on the road for a non-league game against Girard, which was rescheduled after a rainout earlier this month.
First pitch for Thursday’s game is at 4: 30 p.m.
