OVERBROOK — Being crowned Pioneer League Champions wasn’t in the cards for this year’s Mustangs. Iola High’s baseball team needed to get two wins against a tough Santa Fe Trail team in order to win the league.
The Mustangs didn’t make the 80-minute drive back to Iola as champions, dropping both games Tuesday, but the regular season will go down as a successful one for a young Iola squad.
“With as young as we are and the inexperience, some of the guys played a lot better this year,” coach Mark Percy said. “I didn’t know what to exactly expect going into the season. Going in, I think most people thought if we were .500 or a little above, it was going to be a pretty good year. To go 12-4 was a really good year so far.”
Iola was going to have to beat Santa Fe Trail without their most experienced pitchers, Ethan Scheibmeir and Drew Faulhaber. Both pitched in Monday’s wins against Wellsville.
“We knew that this one wasn’t going to be easy because we didn’t have our guys who threw the most innings all year,” Percy said. “We threw everybody. So, we were going to have to get some good pitching and I thought we did in the first game.”
Ben Cooper got the nod on the mound in game one.
After each team was held scoreless, Cooper ran into trouble in the second inning. After walking two batters and a single, the bases were loaded with one out. Cooper got the second out via a critical strikeout. But, the next Santa Fe Trail batter hit a double to score two runs. One more run scored on an error, pushing the Chargers’ lead to 3-0.
Cooper found himself in a similar situation in the third inning, bases loaded and one out. This time, he was able to get two strikeouts and limit the damage.
Iola’s bats were held in check the entire game, mustering only four hits. Faulhaber, Scheibmeir, Badders and Isaac Vink each hit a single.
What may have also hurt Iola bats, more so than pitching, was the infield grass. It was Wrigley Field level in height. Instead of balls dying in the outfield, they died three feet in front of the plate.
Santa Fe Trail scored another run in the fifth and would win 4-0.
With the win, the Chargers won the Pioneer League, but Iola did still have to play a second game.
After the first inning, the Mustangs fell behind 8-0. Percy said it was too big of a hole to overcome.
Iola did get the offense going. In the third inning Garrett Wade hit a leadoff single. Cooper sacrificed him into scoring position. Faulhaber followed with an RBI-single to get the Mustangs’ first run on the board.
In the fourth inning, Keanen Badders scored Iola’s only run of the inning. He also got the RBI, hitting a home run. After an out, Kohl Endicott hit a single. But, two more outs followed.
Santa Fe Trail scored five more runs in the bottom of the frame to take a 13-2 lead.
Iola scored two more runs in the fifth. Badders hit an RBI-single and another run scored on an error.
With two more runs scoring in the sixth inning, Iola had the lead down to 13-6. That was the final score. Ethan Tavarez hit a single and Joey Zimmerman reached on an error. Faulhaber came through with a two-run single.
“Our number one goal was to win the league,” Percy said. “We didn’t get it. But, our number two goal is to get to state. That’s still out there, so that’s what we’re shooting for.”
Iola travels to Prairie View on Monday for a Class 4A Regional. As the no. 1 seed, they will square off with Prairie View first. The winner will face the winner of Anderson County vs. Osawatomie. Two wins and the Mustangs can get to state.
“That’s our goal, our plan,” Percy said. “I don’t have any doubt that we can’t do it. We’re just going to have to come out and play a little better than we did tonight, and we’re going to. I think it’s going to be fun.”
Santa Fe Trail, Pioneer League slip past Iola
