The Iola Mustangs advanced in the regional tournament after holding on for a 6-5 victory over the Columbus Titans Wednesday at Alumni Park.
A pair of clutch plays in the seventh inning by junior second baseman Brock Michael secured the victory as the Titans attempted to rally in their final at-bat.
“That was a tough team, so we feel really good beating them and really good moving forward,” Iola coach Lake Johnson said. “In the first three innings, nine batters were up and nine batters were down with seven strikeouts. In the fourth inning, all we did was put it in play. I don’t know if we got it out of the infield, but we put pressure on them.”
With Iola going scoreless in the first three innings, junior pitcher Jase Herrmann kept them in the contest while tallying seven strikeouts over six innings. He picked up the win before reaching the 100-pitch limit, allowing three runs on four hits and three walks.
“I was feeling great, and that was it,” Herrmann said. “I felt confident in our pitchers. They were going to get the job done and we had the defense to back them up.”
Down a run in the fourth inning, Iola capitalized on a few pitching miscues. Junior third baseman Austin Crooks’ grounder drove in senior shortstop Nick Bauer to tie the game, kick-starting a four-run momentum shift.
“One hit leads to another, and we kept going after that,” Crooks said. “It felt great. I was just trying to beat out the throw.” 
Brock Michael, Iola junior second baseman, throws a Columbus Titan runner out during Wednesday’s regional tournament.
On the next at-bat, junior catcher Kale Pratt’s grounder forced an error at third, resulting in a pair of runs for the Mustangs. Another error at third, this time forced by junior first baseman Roy Gordon, added another run to Iola’s lead. Another Crooks RBI, tying Pratt for the team lead with two each, in the fifth took Iola’s lead to 5-1, but the game was far from over.
The Titans chipped away at Iola’s lead with a pair of runs in the sixth inning. Bauer provided a cushion with an RBI single in the subsequent at-bat, but miscues on the mound prompted Coach Johnson to turn to Crooks to close out the contest with one out and the bases loaded.
“I was just trying to put it in the zone,” Crooks said. “With the bases loaded, it’s a nervous situation, but Brock came through in the end. It makes me feel good that my defense can back me up.”
Crooks kept his composure as an outfield error cut Iola’s lead to two runs. Michael’s move to allow a run while going for the easy fielder’s choice out proved the smartest play of the night. Relying on the defense, Crooks kept his next pitch low, which resulted in a game-ending grounder to Michael.
“I started the night a little tense, but got a hit in the second inning and turned my negative energy to positive,” Michael said. “After that, I was just lights out. There was not a lot going through my head. The whole goal is not to think too much.”
Michael tied Crooks for the team lead in hits with two each. Michael was successful in 2 of 3 at-bats.
With the win, Iola improved their record to 15-7. They advanced to the regional semifinals, where they will face the Heritage Christian Academy of Olathe (16-10) Chargers Tuesday.
“We’re our own worst enemy,” Coach Johnson said. “If we can control the things we can control, then we’re going to be fine. We’re excited for Tuesday.”
First pitch is at 2 p.m. If Iola advances, they face the winner of Girard (19-5) vs. Cherryvale (13-8), which will take place after Iola plays Heritage. First pitch for the championship game is 30 minutes after the conclusion of the Girard-Cherryvale contest.
