An all-around well played day resulted in two more wins for Iola High’s baseball team on Tuesday. The Mustangs beat up Parsons for 11-1 and 4-0 wins, showcasing the best of Iola baseball.
“We hit some balls hard. That’s the kind of games we needed,” coach Mark Percy said. “The only down thing we had the entire night was hitting with runners in scoring position. We also didn’t get about three or four bunts down.”
In game one’s run-ruled shortened six-inning game, Iola won 11-1 and could have won by even more.
“I thought we played a lot more aggressive, we could play a little more aggressive,” Percy said. “We hit the ball both games, but just didn’t hit it when we had guys on base.”
Iola has had a consistent problem with hitting with the bases loaded, Percy said. In both the first and third inning, Iola came up to the plate with the bases loaded and couldn’t manufacture any runs.
Granted, in the third inning, it ended on a strike’em out, throw’em out double play. Brett Taylor struck out and Garrett Wade was thrown out at first base on a questionable call. In his attempt to get back to first base in time, the umpire — standing near second base — called Wade out.
Iola got on the board in the second inning. After Wade hit a leadoff double and Taylor drew a walk, Ben Cooper played small-ball and laid down a sacrifice bunt to put both runners in scoring position. Drew Faulhaber came to the plate and manufactured the only run of the inning on a fielder’s choice to the third baseman. It gave Iola a 1-0 lead, which they didn’t give up.
Iola scored its second run in the third inning. Keanen Badders made it to second base on an error. He eventually came around to score on an RBI-single off the bat of Kohl Endicott.
After Parsons scored its only run in the top of the fourth on a solo-homer, the Mustangs started to build a cushion. Faulhaber led the inning off with a double. Ethan Scheibmeir reached base on a walk. Isaac Vink reached on an error. Coleson Wiggin walked and a run came into score. Ethan Sigg was hit by a pitch and another run scored. Vink came around to score on a wild pitch. Iola led 5-1.
In the fifth, Iola added five more runs. Cooper, Scheibmeir and Vink reached on an error. Cooper came in to score when Scheibmeir reached base. Wiggin was able to lightly jog around the bases after hitting a two-run home run.
Sigg hit a double in the inning, but was out on a fielder’s choice going for third base. Taylor reached base on a single and came around to score on a wild-pitch.
The game ended in the sixth inning on an RBI-single from Scheibmeir, which brought in Joey Zimmerman, who reached on a single.
Scheibmeir was on the mound all six innings, with his only mistake being the solo-home run.
In game two, Faulhaber and Cooper combined to throw a one-hitter. Faulhaber pitched five innings, gave up one walk, no hits and struck out eight. Cooper finished off the next two innings. The one hit allowed, was a hard-hit ball in the infield that took a tough hop.
The pitching won the game, but Iola’s offense kept the team ahead.
In the first inning, Faulhaber led the game off with a walk. Scheibmeir then came up big with a two-run homer to give the Mustangs the early lead.
In the second inning, Scheibmeir came through again, this time with an RBI-double. He hit in Wade, who reached on a walk. Iola’s final run in the game came in the sixth inning. Faulhaber reached on a double. Then two wild pitches brought him in. Iola won the game 4-0.
Percy said the team talked about getting better pitching this week.
“Working on top, working in front and getting ahead in the count,” Percy said. “We only walked two or three guys in both games combined.”
Iola will play two more games this week, in a doubleheader at Neodesha on Thursday. It’s the first time all season that the team has had two doubleheaders in the same week. New pitchers will get a chance to see some innings on the mound.
“I think Ben can throw again, who finished,” Percy said. “Wiggin will throw. We haven’t thrown Endicott and a couple of other kids yet, so they will probably throw.”
Iola (8-2) plays at Neodesha at 4:30 p.m. Thursday.
Mustangs impress in doubleheader sweep of Parsons
