CARBONDALE — Despite fielding a team of mostly freshmen, the Iola Mustangs wrapped up the regular season just below .500 following Tuesday’s 15-0, 11-1 sweep by the Santa Fe Trail Chargers.
With a 10-13 record, Iola will likely avoid a top-three seed in the opening round and will spend the next few days working out the kinks after allowing 12 errors over both of Tuesday’s contests.
Of the Chargers 15 runs, only nine came on errors. Santa Fe Trail pitcher Gretchen Huizenga was two walks shy of a perfect game. He tallied six strikeouts over three innings.
The Chargers put the Mustangs in the paddock early with seven runs in the opening frame, then five runs in the second inning and sealed the mercy-rule with three runs in the third. Iola freshman Haidyn Desmarteau took the loss allowing 15 runs on 12 hits and three walks.
Iola may have put an early scare in the Chargers after jumping out to an early lead, but it proved only a flash as Santa Fe Trail regained control with 11 unanswered runs. Freshman designated hitter Kailyn Rodriguez registered the Mustangs’ only RBI of the evening with a two-out double in the opening frame. The Chargers responded with five runs and continued pouring on the runs until ending the game by the fifth inning 11-1.
Freshman Kinzley Fountain took the loss, tallying Iola’s only strikeout of the evening. She allowed 11 runs on seven hits and four walks. Accounting for errors, only four of those were earned runs.
While leading the Mustangs in RBIs, Rodriguez also tied for sophomore third baseman Addie Wacker and freshman first baseman Breighlynn Rutherford for the team lead in hits with one each.
