The Iola Hormigas held on for their first victory of the season, 9-5, over the North Platte 80s Monday night.
After pulling within striking distance of their first win Sunday in a 3-1 loss at Satchell Paige Stadium in Kansas City, the Hormigas would not be denied Monday thanks to a bit of late-inning heroics from recently acquired reliever Colin Sepulveda, who signed with Iola only 12 hours before making his debut.
Sepulveda arrived from Florida that afternoon, said Derick Dominguez, Iola manager.
“He was an instant spark to our team. You could see it. He brought the energy and we fed off that,” said Dominguez.
After four solid innings from lefty starter Jacob Bosse, who tallied six strikeouts over four innings, Sepulveda stepped in with five strikeouts over the next five innings as well providing a bit of power in the lower batting order while hitting in 2 of 3 at-bats. Sepulveda and Rames Valesquez, a recent addition from the San Diego Padres farm system, allowed Iola to climb back in contention after the pair reached home in the fifth inning, before taking the lead in the sixth on an RBI single from second baseman Antuan Franco.
“We knew we needed five or six runs to win this game, and that’s what we did,” Dominguez said. “We got out here at 1:30 p.m. and took some batting practice. Afterwards, we had a meeting. We addressed some of the issues stopping us at being our best. That meeting did a lot and it showed out there tonight.”
The Hormigas added three more insurance runs as Sepulveda held on for the win. Franco, shortstop Oscar Galvez and first baseman Devin Radar tied for the team lead in hits with three each. Outfielder Xander Nabors, catcher Nicholas Chavez and Radar tied for the team lead in RBIs with three each.
“That is just a sample of what we can do,” Dominguez said. “We know we’re better than that. We know we can do this night after night. It’s just a matter of keeping a positive attitude and competing every day. There is a lot of stuff that doesn’t go our way.”
After wrapping up their series with the 80s Tuesday, the Hormigas head on the road for a three-game series against the Blackwell Flycatchers. They host Blackwell for four games with the first on Sunday at Satchell Paige Stadium, then the next three games at Alumni Field on the campus of Allen Community College. First pitches for next week’s home games are set for 6 p.m.
“It’s a lot funner when you’re winning. It’s a grind out here with the travel and the lack of sleep,” Dominguez said. “That’s what we’re here for. These guys love the game so much. I can’t say enough about them. Their record doesn’t show it, but we’re turning things around.”
