Zoie Hesse’s surprise return to the lineup helped propel the Mustangs to a 16-6 mercy rule victory over Cherryvale Tuesday night. The win has made the top-seeded Frontenac Lady Raiders’ road to the state tournament a lot rougher. The two teams face off Thursday.
Iola’s success has Coach Chris Weide excited.
“It’s not just Zoie,” said Weide. “The girls have grown up. And these past two weeks, I feel like we’ve played harder than we’ve played all year. When you get to the postseason, it’s time to compete.”
Freshman starter Haidyn Desmarteau spent just two innings on the mound, tallying a strikeout before leaving the contest with a shoulder injury. The Chargers capitalized on Desmarteau’s hardship by taking an early lead on a passed ball in the opening frame, then scoring again on a groundout. Iola erased the deficit in their next at-bat.
“We talked about it between innings; we’re young and when things get tight we fold up,” Weide said.“That was the time to challenge them. They responded well.” 
Desmarteau capitalized on Cherryvale’s pitching miscues while scoring on an errant pitch, then freshman first baseman Breighlyn Rutherford plated Wacker with an RBI single. The Mustangs took a 4-2 lead on another pair of passed balls to end the first inning.
In the second inning, Wacker added a run with a triple. Relieving Desmarteau in the third inning, Kinzley Fountain allowed a pair of runs as the Chargers tied the game. Fountain regained her focus while posting four strikeouts over the next two innings while holding Cherryvale to just two hits.
“I was excited to pitch, but it was nerve-racking, I just locked in,” Fountain said. “I told myself we needed to win. It’s my freshman season and I didn’t want to be done.” 
With Fountain refocused, the Mustangs backed her with strong defense and 11-unanswered runs on offense. In the third inning, junior outfielder Shaylee Karns put Iola ahead with an RBI single, then Fountain made it 7-5 after scoring on a passed ball. In the fourth, Addie Wacker extended Iola’s lead with an RBI single. Hesse cleared the bases with an RBI triple down the right field line as Iola reached double digits and a 10-5 lead. Moments later, freshman third baseman Kailyn Rodriguez plated Hesse with an RBI double.
“My first at-bat, I swung so hard the ball barely hit my bat. I ran as hard as I could to first base,” Hesse said. “I just wanted to put the ball in play (on the triple) and get the two girls on base around. I’m excited. I think we can do pretty good this week.”
Needing just five runs to make it an early night, another errant pitch and another Rodriguez RBI single inched Iola to a mercy-rule. Freshman pinch-hitter Lily Kessler pulled them within one run with an RBI single. In her second at-bat of the evening, Desmarteau drew a bases-loaded walk to end the game at 16-5. Although Hesse’s return may have turned a few heads, Wacker was the star of the evening. She was a perfect 4 of 4 in the batter’s box. Hesse was 3 for 3. Rodriguez and Karns had two hits each.
“They were dialed in all the way around,” Weide said. “They had good at-bats, and it was tough for both pitchers when it was raining pretty good. It was hard to grip the ball
With the win, the Mustangs improved their record to 11-14. If the Mustangs advance against Frontenac, they face the winner of the West Franklin (16-7) vs. Wellsville (15-7) contest in the championship round.
First pitch for Thursday’s game will be 25 minutes after the conclusion of the 3 p.m. Wellsville vs. West Franklin contest. First pitch for the championship game will be 25 minutes after the conclusion of Iola’s opener against Frontenac.
