WELLSVILLE — It wasn’t the end of the world.
Iola had just been outplayed by a very good Wellsville team and Wellsville’s ace Tony Dougan was on the top of his game. There was no shame in dropping a game and falling into a first-place tie with the Eagles in the Pioneer League and having one more game against Wellsville to likely decide the league championship.
Then the Mustangs decided they didn’t want to accept fate.
Entering the seventh inning, Iola trailed Wellsville 3-0, but they had the heart of their order due up. Ethan Scheibmeir led off the inning.
The junior drew a walk, putting senior Coleson Wiggin at bat. After a blooper in the first inning, Wiggin was seeking redemption. A wild pitch had the Iola catcher looking for the ball, allowing Wellsville to score from second base.
Wiggin got his retribution with a single to send the potential game-tying run to the plate.
“We were kind of down, but once everyone started getting on base, their pitcher started struggling and we started getting hyped,” Iola’s Garrett Wade said.
After Wellsville recorded an out, Mustang speedster Keanan Badders reached on an error and the Mustangs had the bases loaded, down by three with one out and into the box stepped right fielder Wade.
Wade has platooned in the right field spot all season, but this represented the biggest at bat of his season and possibly the team’s season to this point.
“He is one of those guys that puts the ball in and doesn’t always square it up,” Iola coach Mark Percy said. “It was a huge time for us, because we just weren’t hitting the ball, even when we were we weren’t squaring it up or it was right at somebody.”
Wade came through. He saw a pitch he liked and roped it to the outfield for a double and with Badders’ speed at first base he was able to circle the bases and tie the game.
“(I saw) a ball right down the middle and everything lined up and worked out,” Wade said.
The Eagles were visibly frustrated on the field and Iola senior Brett Taylor made sure they stayed that way, dropping a perfect squeeze bunt down the first-base line after Wade had advanced to third and the Mustangs took the lead.
“We laid down some awesome bunts and I think that really rattled them,” Percy said. “Their bunt coverage wasn’t where it was supposed to be.”
Ben Cooper kept the line moving with another bunt. No one covered first base for the Eagles and Cooper was safe.
“It has been a while but we’ve won games before by bunting and moving people around,” Percy said.
