OSAWATOMIE — The Iola High softball team used some hard hitting to split at Osawatomie in a pair of games Tuesday.
Iola went ahead in the first inning of the opener and never relinquished their lead in a 12-6 win. In game two, the Mustangs were never able to overcome an early deficit despite a valiant effort, losing 8-5.
“I learned that no matter who we play we’ve got to come out and play our game and play 100% every game,” Iola head coach Chris Weide said. “I feel like we can beat anybody but anyone can beat us too.”
Game one
The Mustang bats broke out early when Reese Curry roped an RBI single to left field for the 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Jadyn Kaufman got in on the fun and knocked an RBI infield single for the early 2-0 advantage.
Osawatomie brought home two runs in the bottom of the first. The Mustangs scored three more runs in the top of the third. The Trojans then plated one more run in the fourth inning and Iola led heading to the fifth, 5-3.
Harper Desmarteau stretched the Iola lead to three runs on an RBI double to right field in the fifth inning for the 6-3 lead. Kary Bruner then smashed an RBI double to right field for the 7-3 lead in the fifth.
“I felt like we were pretty focused, we made a lot of plays and were aggressive at the plate,” Weide said. “It was just the confidence of getting a couple of runs early. When we score early, it’s a lot easier to play defense and gives us more confidence everywhere on the field.”
The Mustangs scored five more runs in the final two innings. Curry drove in a team-high five runs while Aysha Houk and Kaufman each drove in two runs. Curry also had a team-high five hits while Houk had four hits and Kaufman had two.
Elza Clift started in the circle for the Mustangs and threw seven innings, allowing six runs, two of them earned, on seven hits, one walk and three strikeouts.
Game two
Iola went down first in the second game but clawed to keep even with Osawatomie throughout much of the ball game in an 8-5 loss. The Trojans made their final push in the sixth inning when they plated five runs to pull away.
Osawatomie went ahead 2-0 in the first inning after an RBI triple before Iola knotted the score at 2-2 in the top of the third. Houk and Clift were both able to take home plate on wild pitches in the third for the 2-2 knot.
One of the best plays of the game for the Mustangs came in the bottom of the third inning when Curry, the catcher, grabbed a wild pitch and tagged out the Osawatomie runner attempting to score. Curry’s tag kept the game tied at 2-2 heading to the fourth inning.
“She’s (Curry) solid offensively and defensively and as the year goes on, she’s doing a lot better blocking balls in the dirt,” Weide said. “Very few teams try to run on her. They know she has a good arm. She’s comfortable in just about every situation.”
The Trojans then pushed one more run across in the fourth and five more runs in the sixth inning. Iola tried to cut into the lead in the seventh inning when Clift laid down a bunt which scored two on a throwing error. Curry then belted an RBI single to right for the 8-5 deficit.
“They changed pitchers on us, changed the speed a little bit slower and we just weren’t as patient as we needed to be,” said Weide. “It was a little frustrating toward the end. They fought the whole game other than the sixth inning when we just sort of fell apart.”
Desmarteau, Curry and Houk each had one hit for Iola. Clift was hit with eight runs on eight hits through six innings in the circle. She also struck out four Trojans and walked three.
