BURLINGTON — Iola High’s softball and baseball junior varsity teams picked up valuable playing time Thursday. As Iola coaches point out, the more time on the field the better the IHS players will become.
The Fillies dropped two games to host Burlington High’s Wildcats. Burlington won the first game 11-1 and took the second contest 6-5.
“It was a matter of experience against inexperience in the first game,” said Casey Greenwood, Fillies’ assistant coach. “In the second game, once Burlington to out their varsity players, we played with them.”
Greenwood said the Fillies rallied for four runs in the fifth inning. The Fillies had the tying run at third but couldn’t get it home.
Breail Thompson pitched both games for the Fillies. She gave up seven hits, walked two and hit two batters plus had one strikeout in game one. In the second contest, she allowed nine hits, walked two and hit a batter plus struck out three.
In the opener, Libby Shay went 3-for-3, all singles. Lauren Toney, B. Thompson, Emily Ware and Kayla Knavel each had a base hit.
Shyanne Hendry connected for a single and a double in the second game. Ware and Abby St. Clair had two singles each. Hitting a single apiece were Toney, Caitlyn Callaway, Katie Thompson, Knavel and Holly Schomaker.
THE MUSTANG JV got a complete-game performance from Jarred Latta on the mound. He gave up five hits, did not issue a walk and struck out five in a 23-four-inning, run-rule win for Iola over Burlington.
Iola was up 7-2 after two innings. The Mustangs scored nine runs in the third and seven in the fourth.
Michael Anderson led the Iola hitting attack with two singles and a double. Latta connected for a single, a double and a triple. Devon Conner hit a single and a double. Eric Heffern and Shae Beasley had a single each.
Burlington used a 10-run second inning to lead 11-2 in the second game. The Wildcats held off the charging Mustangs to win 11-10.
Mason Coons was Iola’s starting pitcher but left after 11⁄3 innings of work. He surrendered nine runs on eight hits, one walk and two hit batters.
Shelton Reno pitched 22⁄3 innings. He gave up two runs on two hits and had two strikeouts.
Iola had 10 hits in battling back to within one run. Braden Larson had two singles and a triple. Garrett Donovan tripled and Conner doubled.
Coons had two singles. Tyler Clubine, Reno and Tyler Tomlinson each had a single.
“It appears our young kids hit the ball pretty well. That’s what we want them to be — aggressive at the plate,” said Mark Percy, Mustang head coach.
Percy said the Mustang junior varsity lost the services of Aaron Barclay because of a fractured thumb and Coons is hampered with a sore arm.
Iola was scheduled to host Pittsburg in junior varsity play today. Both softball and baseball contests were slated for 4:30 in Riverside Park.
