Indians’ midseason addition shines in first start

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Sports

July 17, 2015 - 12:00 AM

HUMBOLDT — When Iola’s most veteran players, like Trent Latta, Derrick Weir and Hunter Murrow, first joined American Legion Post 15, the name of the game was patience.
Come to practice, study the sport’s nuances and wait your turn to take the field. That’s the way things worked on the veteran-heavy Indians squad of years past.
But after 14-year-old Derek Bycroft shut out Chanute in five innings of work on the mound Thursday night, it’s clear Iola has entered a new era.
“It’s a totally different team” coach Roland Weir said, comparing this group to last season’s.
Despite fewer college players and veteran high schoolers, Iola managed to squeak out 3-2 and 2-0 victories behind younger players like Bycroft.
After Caleb D’Armond pitched 6 and two-thirds of the first game of the doubleheader, Weir needed a fresh arm for the second contest without tiring someone out for Monday’s matchups with Burlington.
So he turned to the newcomer.
“(Bycroft) just joined us about midway through the season,” Weir said. “I had him join us because we needed extra players.”
In his first start with the Indians, Bycroft went the distance (the second game of doubleheaders only go five innings) while giving up just four hits and two walks in addition to striking out six batters.
“Fourteen years old and came out and did a hell of a job,” Weir said. “I was really pleased with his performance.”
After throwing 50 pitches in just two innings, Bycroft settled down the rest of the way, finishing with 85.
A Keanan Badders’ RBI double in the first inning gave Bycroft all the support he needed on offense, but the Indians managed to plate one more run off a dropped third strike in the bottom of the fourth for insurance.
In the first contest, Iola overcame a late 2-1 deficit after taking advantage of another dropped third strike, which resulted in the tying run, and a defensive miscue, which gave the Indians the go-ahead run.
The victories were vastly different than Monday’s blowouts, but Weir said the results were encouraging nonetheless.
“It means we can win the close games,” he said. “We can win an ugly game when necessary.
“That’s what it means. We don’t always have to be at our best to win a game. That means I’ve got enough faith that I can make a call and they’ll execute it.”
With the two additional wins from Thursday, Iola improves to 22-4 on the season.
Five of those victories came against Chanute, which failed to top Iola a singe time this season. The rivalry was important to sweep, Weir said.
“We really wanted this one heading into zone next week,” he said.
Before the Indians head off to Fort Scott on Thursday to play the winner of Fort Scott and Garnett, they still have one final challenge in the regular season.
Iola and Burlington will play another doubleheader Monday as they did earlier this week.
However, these two final regular season games will take place in Burlington starting at 6 p.m.
Having pitched Bycroft on Thursday night, Weir now has options for fresh arms for both Monday and Thursday during the zone tournament, including Trent Latta, who only pitched the final out of the first game of the doubleheader.
Despite having two more games left on the schedule to wrap up the season, the Indians have already clinched the No. 1 seed in the zone tournament.

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