FORT SCOTT — Competition was stiff over the weekend for Iola’s A American Legion baseball squad.
The Indians, playing in the Adam LaRoche Tournament, against a number of all-star teams from Kansas and Missouri, placed third in the 12-team field, by going 2-2.
“We competed well,” head coach Bob Johnson said. “We took a third of 12 teams, and eight or nine of those teams are really good.”
Midwest Academy, an all-star squad from the Joplin and Pittsburg areas, took first. NBA Marucci-Kroyman, a squad of standouts from the Kansas City area, took second. And Iola’s A squad came in third.
All three teams came from the same pool.
“When your pool has four teams and three of them take the top three, that tells you what kind of draw we had,” Johnson said.
On Friday evening, Iola (10-4) opened against the Midwest Mustangs, a squad that entered the tournament with a 32-3 record.
Midwest pushed across a run in the top of the fourth, and then put the game away with a five-run sixth inning to win, 6-0.
“They’re a legitimate, major all-star team,” Johnson said.
Trevor Church got the start for Iola — more on him later — and pitched two hitless, scoreless innings. He was replaced by Korbin Cloud, who surrendered four hits and one run over three innings. Nolan Bradley gave up four hits with two strikeouts before Trey Sommer pitched a 1-2-3 seventh.
Church, meanwhile, hit a pair of singles and walked twice in four plate appearances. Gavin Page and Cloud also had singles.
IOLA hit its stride with two games on Saturday, both victories.
Iola defeated the Eagles, 15-0, and NBA Marucci-Noble, 16-4.
Sommer handled the pitching duties in the win over the Eagles, allowing one hit over three innings with five strikeouts and no walks.
The Indians scored 11 in the top of the first, taking advantage of five walks, four errors, a number of passed balls and wild pitches and a hit batter. In between, Holen Barker and Cloud had RBI singles.
