After falling in game one, Blake Ellis provided a walk-off bunt in the bottom of the fifth for the Iola A Indians to take the split with the Garnett Post 48 Muddogs Thursday.
The Indians (7-5) were defeated in the opener after Iola’s pitching gave up five runs in 5.1 innings while Iola scored three runs across two innings in a 6-3 loss. In game two, Ellis’s walk-off bunt to score Henry White was the deciding factor in the 8-7 win.
Game one — 6-3 loss
Garnett wasted no time jumping on Iola’s pitching. Cole Mathes was hit with two runs across the first three innings. Kade Nilges then allowed three more runs to cross in 2.1 innings pitched. Garnett was led at the plate by Rigin Jasper’s two RBI’s.
Garnett’s Brodie Wiesner singled on a bunt back to the pitcher for the 1-0 lead in the top of the first.
In the second inning, Colten Wittman scored on a wild pitch by Mathes for the 2-0 advantage.
Iola cut into the deficit in the third when Mathes doubled to shortstop to plate Lucas Maier, 2-1. Mathes then scored on a wild pitch to knot the game at 2-2.
Garnett struck next in the top of the fifth when Jack Dykes scored on a wild pitch to go ahead 3-2. Michael Mains singled to shortstop to score one more run and put Iola down again, 4-2.
Jasper singled to right field to score two more runs in the top of the sixth and sink Iola even further into a 6-2 hole.
Grady Dougherty stepped up for the Indians in the bottom of the sixth when he smacked a single to center field which plated White for the 6-3 final score.
Mathes and Dougherty each knocked home a run while Ellis had a team-high two hits. Mathes was dinged with four runs through 4.2 innings while Nilges was tagged with one run in 0.2 frames. Tyler Lord closed the game on the mound, allowing one run in 1.2 innings.
Game two — 8-7 win
A four-run fifth inning ultimately helped the Indians prevail over the Muddogs, 8-7.
The first few innings went back and forth with Iola scoring four runs across the first three frames and Garnett plating six. That’s when the Indians woke up in the fifth and scored four runs to take a 8-7 lead, which they wouldn’t relinquish.
After Garnett scored one run in the top of the first, Iola’s Nick Bauer scored on a passed ball while Blake Ellis singled to center to drive home one more run and take a 2-1 lead.
