The ballfield at Riverside Park saw its first live action of 2020 with the AA Iola Indians hosting Burlington for their Legion home opener on Thursday evening.
Iola’s bats could not be slowed down, with the Indians rattling off 25 runs in 10 innings of action. The Indians run-ruled Burlington in five innings during each game, winning 12-0 and 13-1.
Despite not having a high school season, the Indians appear to be in mid-season form.
“They have come to play, and that maybe is because they didn’t have a high school season,” Indians head coach Jason Bauer said. “Some of these kids are looking better for the high school season, and others are going to play college baseball.”
The Indians led 3-0 after the first inning in game 1, and only added to their lead in the second. Jackson Aikins added to Iola’s lead with an RBI scoring Drake Sellman, followed by a sacrifice fly from Ryker Curry to score Aikins.
After a strong weekend with eight RBIs, future Ichabod Cal Leonard continued to stroke the bat with ease. A two-RBI double from Leonard increased Iola’s lead to 7-0 at the end of the second.
Leonard may have the most RBIs in this young summer season, but each Indian has already showcased their ability to put the bat on the ball whenever it appears in the strike zone.
“The wind was blowing, and we hit the ball well,” Bauer said. “To be honest, we haven’t put in that much work as a team. They aren’t taking batting practice before games because they are superstitious, and are just going with the flow.”
Iola senior Nathan Louk was clinical on the mound in game 1. He pitched all five innings, allowing no runs and five hits while striking out five. The Indians pitching was just as efficient in game 2. Another Iola senior, Bradyn Cole, showcased his ability from the mound as well. In five innings of work Cole allowed two hits, one run, and earned three strikeouts.
Bauer is impressed with his staff’s composure on the mound, but admits their job is not too difficult.
“They did look good, even though we haven’t thrown a lot of bullpens,” Bauer said. “They know they have a good defense behind them, so all they have to do is pound the ball.”
Curry started the scoring with an RBI in the first inning. Iola held a 1-0 lead until the fourth inning, where the Indians’ offense exploded. The Indians tallied three hits in the fourth, leading to six runs that extended Iola’s lead to 7-1.
Iola put the game out of reach in the fifth, adding six more runs to their lead. After a strong performance on the mound in game 1, Louk displayed his ability with the bat, connecting on a line drive three-RBI double to extend Iola’s lead to 10-1.
Three more runs came across in the fifth courtesy of RBIs from Casen Barker and Cole, along with an extra run off a Burlington error. Like the first game, this one was cut short due to the 10-run lead after five innings played.
Iola will be back in action on Monday at Burlington for a doubleheader scheduled at 6 p.m. The Indians are currently 4-0 on the season, and plan to keep their undefeated record intact moving forward.
