HUMBOLDT — The A Iola Indians saw two leads crumble against Chanute in Wednesday night’s doubleheader at the Humboldt Sports Complex.
The Indians held a two-run lead in game 1, and a three-run advantage in game 2, but Iola’s bats were unable to keep pace down the stretch.
Chanute opened game 1 with a four-run first inning, but the Indians would answer in the second. With runners on the corners, Carter Hutton delivered an RBI groundout to score Drake DeLaTorre to open the scoring for Iola. The Indians cut the deficit to two before the end of the inning, with Eli Adams sliding home safely off a wild pitch.
Iola took control of the game in the third with a four-run boost. Trailing 4-3, Hutton brought the Indians offense ro life once more, notching a two-RBI single to give Iola the lead. The Indians tacked on one more run in the inning to lead 6-4 entering the fourth.
Trevor Church received the start on the mound for Iola. Church pitched five innings, notching four strikeouts while giving up five hits for two unearned runs.
Church, who is usually sure-handed, allowed Chanute to take the lead with two outs in the fifth. A poor throw to third, that skipped to the fence allowed Chanute to take the 8-6 lead in the fifth.
As a whole, it wasn’t the Indians’ finest defensive performance. Iola committed 10 errors in the seven-inning contest, ultimately leading to their defeat. Chanute committed two errors.
The Indians didn’t let the loss affect them for game 2. Iola opened the bottom-half of the first with a walk for lead-off man Gavin Page, and a single from Landon Weide which put runners on the corners for Brandon McKarnin.
After a poor pick-off throw to first that allowed Page to score and move Weide to second, McKarnin connected for an RBI double to give Iola the 2-0 lead. The Indians added another run in the first off an RBI from Avery Blaufuss. Unfortunately, those would be Iola’s only runs of the game.
Trey Sommer’s right arm earned the start, and kept Chanute in check until the fourth inning. Chanute tallied eight runs against Sommer in the fourth, before Blauffus came in to for the final two outs in the fourth, and the final three in the fifth.
The Indians mustered only three hits in game 2 versus Chanute’s 12. A lack of offense was ultimately too much for the Indians’ pitching staff to overcome.
After three tournament-filled weekends, the Indians get this Saturday and Sunday off before traveling to Independence for a doubleheader on Tuesday.
