TOPEKA The A Iola Indians bats ran out of juice against Larned on Saturday in the semi-finals of the Junior Kansas American Legion Kansas State Tournament.
The Indians offense was unable to muster runs at critical moments, and ultimately lost to the eventual state champions 2-4.
Larned earned a two-run lead in the first after a scoreless top half from Iola, but the Indians responded in the second.
TJ Taylor singled on a hard ground ball to center field, and Dillon Slaven reached first after being hit by a pitch, putting two Indians on base. Tyson Hermreck followed by taking the first pitch of the at bat to deep center field, scoring Taylor and Slaven to tie the game at 2-2.
Head coach Troy Smith selected Nathan Louk to manage the mound for the entire seven-inning affair. Louk allowed five hits and two earned runs to go along with six strikeouts, keeping Iola in contention throughout.
Nathan was efficient. He threw 76 pitches over seven innings, and probably could have thrown a full nine-inning game, Smith said. He threw the ball exceptionally.
After a scoreless third, the winning runs for Larned came in the fourth. The Indians were an out away from retiring the side, but Larned was gifted a base runner after a Larned batter reached first after being hit by a pitch. The next Larned batter drove a ball toward Hermreck in deep center field. The ball was misjudged and rolled all the way to the fence. The error led to an inside the park home run, and handed Larned the two-run lead once again.
The Indians were unable to capitalize on any other opportunities that presented itself, including getting the bases loaded prior to Larned taking the lead, and a lead-off single in the final inning.
We couldnt get hits when we absolutely needed them, Smith said. We had runners on base a lot, and couldnt hit. The simple fact is when we hit, we win, and today we didnt do that, which is unfortunate because we pitched very well.
Despite the loss, this team can stand proud. Smith had nothing but applause for his side after a successful summer season, and a top-four place at state.
We played very well. Overall, Im very proud of them, Smith said. We came from the much more difficult side of the bracket. Our side of the bracket finished with three teams of 2-1 records, and Marysville won their zone and still finished winless.
The Indians would not have been in the position they were in without some stellar performances from some key players.
Absent on Saturday due to a family vacation, Bradyn Cole no doubt was the pitcher of the tournament for Iola. The Indians ace completed a no-hitter in Game 1 of pool play against Marsyville to set the tone for any opposition facing Iolas pitching throughout the tournament.
On the offensive end, Drake Selman went 6-14 and led the team with six RBIs.
Drake was great, but he can be hard work at times, Smith said. But when hes drilled in and focused, he hits the ball well, is a great catcher, and slows down other teams running the bases.
Although the Indians came up short in their quest for a state championship, they show that Iolas future in baseball remains bright.