A seventh inning go-ahead run by Baldwin was all the Bulldogs needed to sink Iola High’s baseball team in the Class 4A first round regional playoff at Allen Community College Tuesday.
The Mustangs (12-7) were dominant in pitching and defensive through the first six innings but couldn’t scratch any runs across the plate against Baldwin’s Dane Warmuskerken. Iola advanced only two runners into scoring position in a 1-0 loss.
“We picked a bad day to not do much offensively, that’s all it comes down to,” Iola head coach Levi Ashmore said. “We played a good game defensively and on the mound, made some tough plays when we needed to, but just simply couldn’t get enough hits to be any sort of threat.”
Mac Leonard was phenomenal on the mound for Iola as he cruised through six innings, allowing only one earned run in the seventh on two hits and two walks. Korbin Cloud then came in to relieve Leonard in the seventh and got Baldwin to ground out twice.
Unfortunately, a groundout fielder’s choice from Ryder Nigh with a base runner on third allowed Baldwin to take the 1-0 lead for the victory.
“Mac had been good all year and we knew he would give us a chance against Baldwin and he certainly did,” said Ashmore. “If you told me we would have to score one or two runs to win a game in regionals at the end of the year, I’d feel pretty good about it.”
“But we didn’t,” Ashmore added. “Mac threw his butt off but we weren’t too much of a threat offensively all day.”
Iola missed out on countless chances to score, including in the seventh inning when Brandon McKarnin poked a single down the left field line. McKarnin reached second base but couldn’t make it any further after a couple of strikeouts.
Tre Wilson reached first base on an error by Baldwin’s third baseman in the second inning but couldn’t make it any further as the next three Mustang batters were sat down in a row. From the third through the sixth inning, Iola was rung up three batters in a row each inning.
Baldwin turned to their ace, Warmuskerken, when it counted most and he provided a stellar start, recording eight strikeouts in a complete game shutout.
The Mustangs managed only two hits off Warmuskerken, a fifth inning single and a seventh inning single, each off the bat of McKarnin.
Baldwin went on to fall against Fort Scott in the second round 4A regional playoff game, 4-0.
