Indians’ season comes to heartbreaking end

POMONA — Bizarre circumstances ended Iola’a AA American Legion baseball team’s run at a third straight state championship during the Zone 6 Tournament against Paola Friday night.
After seeing a seven-run lead evaporate, Iola’s season ended with a 10-10 loss.
Yes, the score was tied.
However, due to Legion rules, the game had to end because Iola didn’t have enough players to finish.
“We hit the ball, we came out stroking the ball the first three or four innings,” Iola coach Roland Weir said. “The kids responded to the challenge and jumped out early, taking control of the game. You think you’ve got control of it, and I emptied my bench and that kind of killed us at the end.”
The troubles came home to roost in a gut-wrenching seventh inning.
Trailing 10-6, Paola scored a run and loaded the bases against Indian starter Alex Murrow with two outs. Reliever Caleb D’Armond induced a pop fly into shallow center field. It appeared shortstop Hunter Murrow had a bead on the ball, but he was called off by left fielder Trent Latta. However, the ball dropped before Latta could reach it. Because the count was full, the runners took off with the pitch, meaning all three scored on the play.
Suddenly, the score was tied, 10-10.
A spectacular diving catch by center fielder Caleb Vanatta off the bat of Paola’s next hitter prevented further damage in the inning, even after his white pair of glasses went flying, giving the appearance he had dropped the ball.
The game completely unraveled in the bottom of the inning. Batting with one out, Vanatta was ejected by the home plate umpire after arguing a called third strike, leaving Iola with only eight players available at the top of the next inning.
But Iola still had a chance. If the Indians could score before their turn at bat ended, they would be the winners.
D’Armond kept things alive with an infield single. Grayson Pearish then reached on an error by the Paola shortstop, putting the winning run at second. But Alex Murrow struck out on a 3-2 pitch to end the inning — and the game.
“Legion rules state that if you start with nine, you’ve got to finish with nine,” Weir said. “I didn’t have a bench left.”

THE GAME started with an offensive explosion for both teams. Paola jumped to a 3-0 in the top of the first with a two-run double and an RBI single.
Iola responded quickly. Drew Faulhaber and Latta singled ahead of Vanatta’s two-run double, cutting the deficit to 3-2.
Alex Murrow settled down in the second inning, sending Paola’s batters back to the bench in order, before Iola took the lead in the bottom of the frame.
Aaron Barclay reached on an error by Paola’s third baseman before Alex Murrow and Eric Heffern walked to load the bases. Hunter Murrow got an RBI on a fielder’s choice, after Heffern was tagged out going for second. Faulhaber drew another walk, the third of the inning, loading the bases again. Latta struck out, but Derrick Weir gave the Indians the lead with a two-run single. Vanatta and Jacob Carpenter walked to drive in another run. One more run scored, after Barclay reached first on another error by the third baseman to push the lead to 7-3.
The Indians seemingly put the game out of reach in the third. Hunter Murrow and Faulhaber singled to put men on the corners. Latta drove both home with a single. Vanatta and Carpenter hit singles for the final run.
Paola scored three in the top of the fifth to cut the deficit to 10-6, leading to the fateful seventh.
“The kids had a fantastic season, I don’t want them to hang their head,” Coach Weir said. “Iola has had three or four straight 30-win seasons, two state championships. The run had to come to an end sometime. Hopefully the kids below see this and how we’ve raised the bar. They’ve just got to keep going and maintain the program.”
The loss also ended the Indians’ streak of three consecutive zone championships.
 Paola advanced to the championship round, and even forced a winner-take-all title game before bowing out to Zone 6 champion Ottawa on Saturday.