Two wins wrapped up regular season play for the A Iola Indians Monday evening at Riverside Park. The Indians bats didnt pop, but the pitching carried them the distance to wins of 3-1 and 3-2 over the Kansas Clutch Royals.
Iola finished 20-7, and will hope the momentum from the regular season carries them forward heading into zone play, as they eye on making state.
Indians head coach Troy Smith went with Ryker Curry for Game 1 on the mound, and he was solid. Curry struck out five and allowed only one hit in his four innings of work.
The game was scoreless heading into the bottom of the fourth, when Iolas offense finally awoke. Drake Sellman reached on an error by the Royals third baseman, and eventually made his way over to third. With two outs, Tyson Hermreck delivered an RBI single to left field to bring home Sellman. Kole Rogers followed with a line-drive single to put runners on the corners for Iola, and Hermreck made his way home after an error from the Royals shortstop which also placed Rogers on third. With the runner in prime scoring position, TJ Taylor singled on a line drive to centerfield to pick up his only RBI of the afternoon to give Iola the 3-0 lead.
Eli Smith came in to relieve Curry with a three-run advantage. Smith closed out the Royals picking up three strikeouts, allowing four hits, and giving up the only run the Royals would scavenge back.
Ryker was really good today. Where we are struggling right now is hitting the strike zone and walking too many people, Coach Smith iterated. Without the walks and some of the errors we would be better off. I mean they only scored one, but without the walks or the errors they probably would not have scored. The one hit I remember Eli giving up was really just down the line.
Unlike Game 1, the Indians didnt use up their chances at the plate to get on the scoreboard. Only negative, it wasnt in bunches like it has been at times this summer. Curry led off for the Indians in Game 2 with a line-drive single. Bradyn Coles hard-hit ground ball was mishandled at short, allowing Curry to score.
The Indians doubled their lead in the next inning, Dillon Slaven reached on a walk to get Iola a runner on base for the second consecutive inning with no outs. Hermrecks line drive brought Slaven home from third to make the score 2-0 Iola.
After going with Curry and Smith for Game 1, Coach Smith went with Cole for the full five innings in Game 2. Cole looked more like himself Monday, picking up nine strikeouts, while allowing three hits and two earned runs. Despite getting into a bad jam in the fourth inning with the Royals retaking the lead, Cole did not panic. The right-hander was able to maneuver his way through the Royals lineup with runners on second and third, and not give up the go-ahead run.
Heading into the bottom half of the fourth, it was a brand new ball game with the score tied at 2-2. Hermreck reached after a dropped third third strike to get Iola a runner on with two outs. Rogers singled to right field, putting the Indians now on first and second, but an error from the Royals third baseman allowed Hermreck to score and put Iola ahead 3-2.
Cole shut the door in the fifth picking up two strikeouts. The Indians earned the sweep in the double header.
The wins were gritty, Smith said. We just arent hitting the ball very well when we need to hit the ball. Once again, when you pitch as well as we pitch, sometimes two or three runs will get it done.
This weekend, Iola heads to Emporia for the zone tournament. The other five teams accompanying Iola will be Emporia, Topeka Washburn Rural, Garnett, Chanute and Ottawa. The tournament is double elimination with the top two teams advancing to state.
All Iola has to do is make it to the championship game, and they are on their way to the state tournament. Iola has gone 6-2 against the teams featured excluding Topeka, who was not on the Indians schedule. The Indians will also see the return of Nathan Louk, Dillon Bycroft and Cooper Riley who were away in Colorado on a church retreat, and are three bats that will help energize the Indian offense as they set their eyes on state.
