The Iola Mustangs made quick work of the Anderson County Bulldogs in a pair of run-rule victories Tuesday at Riverside Park.
After halting the opener in the fifth inning, a six-run explosion sealed the finale by the fourth and placed Iola near the top of the Pioneer League standings with a 5-1 record.
“The main thing is confidence. We don’t stress out,” Iola coach Chris Weide said. “If we make a mistake, then we move on to the next play. We’ve always said hitting is contagious. Once someone starts doing it, the whole team gets confident and they keep rolling.”
After opening the game with a pair of strikeouts, sophomore pitcher Zoie Hesse set the tone in the batter’s box with a three-run homer in her first at-bat. She ended the game with a team-leading four RBIs, and six strikeouts, but credited her teammates for putting her in the position for success.
“We just have fun, and we work together,” Hesse said. “The game against Humboldt, we got over, moved on and worked our butts off for the next game.”
A subsequent RBI single by senior outfielder Alana Mader added another run, then in the second a Hesse RBI double and an RBI grounder by sophomore Brooklyn Holloway put Iola up 6-0.
The Mustangs sealed the opening win in the fifth inning with RBIs from senior first baseman Kaysin Cruisinbery, senior second baseman Kinsey Schinstock and Mader.
“I made good contact. Just going up there and getting the job done for my team is the main thing,” Holloway said.
Clift got the start in the finale, tallying seven strikeouts over four innings while hitting in 3 of 3 appearances with two RBIs. As lead-off hitter, she kickstarted a nine-run first inning and the Mustangs poured on the runs from there as they pummeled Anderson County 17-2. Hesse and Holloway tied for the team lead in RBIs with three each.
With the win, Iola improves to 6-4 overall and 5-1 in Pioneer League play. They will receive a reprieve from league play Friday when they head on the road for a doubleheader against 4A Paola, then return to the Pioneer League Tuesday for another road game against Osawatomie. First pitches for both doubleheaders are 4:30 and 6 p.m.
