HIAWATHA — The Iola American Legion Post 15 Indians’ four-year reign over Kansas American Legion 19U Baseball came to an end at Sunday’s state tournament game.
Facing an uphill battle following Friday’s 4-2 loss to Colby, the Indians bounced back with a 14-0 victory over host Hiawatha Saturday before Marysville eliminated them with a 10-2 victory Sunday.
“It didn’t end the way we wanted it to, but I knew these guys were going to fight all the way to the end,” Iola coach T.J. Taylor said. “It just came down to hitting. We struggled this weekend and I knew that was going to be an issue.”
After opening the tournament Friday with a 7-0 victory over Smith County, the Indians took their first loss of the tournament against Colby, 4-2. Colby jumped out to an early lead with a pair of runs in the opening frame. Iola struggled to build momentum, finally getting on the scoreboard in the sixth inning with a groundout RBI by catcher Dominic Smith and an RBI single by first baseman Grady Dougherty.
Starter Cole Mathes took the loss after posting a team-leading two strikeouts while allowing four runs on seven hits. Reliever Austin Crooks tallied a strikeout and allowed one hit in 1 2/3 innings on the mound.
“We knew going in everyone was going to be gunning for us,” Taylor said. “That’s just the way it is. Everyone is going to throw us their ace. We wanted to play the long game and hold our guys. We were capable of winning, but the bats just didn’t come around when we needed them to.”
Facing elimination, the Indians blasted host team Hiawatha 14-0 with a majority of their runs coming in the fourth and fifth innings for a mercy rule. A bases-loaded walk and an RBI single by designated hitter Ryan Golden, who tied Jones with two RBIs for the team lead, set the tone for the evening. Pitchers Easton Weseloh, Tyler Lord and Gavin Jones combined to allow one hit over six innings and four strikeouts in the shutout.
As Weseloh, Lord and Jones went to work, the Indians continued to distance themselves on RBIs from Weseloh, Smith and Mathes in the third inning for a 5-0 advantage. In the fifth, Iola added four more runs on RBIs from shortstop Blake Ellis, then Jones and outfielder Kale Pratt scored on wild pitches. Five runs in the sixth inning secured the mercy rule with RBIs from Jones, Smith, Golden and Ellis.
“That was huge. If we lost that game, then we would have gone home,” said Taylor. “I’m just glad the boys were having fun and hitting the ball well.”
Iola’s fun came to an end in the semi-final game against Marysville 10-2. Marysville jumped out to a 10-0 lead before Post 15 got on the scoreboard with RBIs from Dougherty and Weseloh but it was well short of getting them back into contention. Dougherty took the loss despite posting a team-leading four strikeouts over two innings, allowing eight runs on seven hits. Jones stopped the bleeding while relieving Dougherty in the third inning. He tallied three strikeouts over four innings.
“We know the goal every year is to win the state championship,” Taylor said. “That’s just the way this program is. We’ll get back on track. I told the boys to make sure they keep working in the offseason.”
With the loss, the Indians end the season with a 20-7 record. With only a handful of players aging out of the program, Coach Taylor hopes to return for another run at a state title next summer.
“It’s a great feeling to know these guys are young and capable of a lot more,” said Taylor, who completed his first year as 19U and 17U coach. “They have a lot more to come. It’s going to be a lot easier (next season). I won’t have to get used to a bunch of new faces.”
In MONDAY’S championship game, Marysville lost to the Garnett Muddogs, 12-2.
Last month, the Indians split a doubleheader with the Muddogs. Garnett took the opener, 8-2, and Post 15 took the finale, 3-1.
