Wednesday’s action on the softball diamond took a turn for the bizarre, as Iola High hosted Wellsville.
The Mustangs battled tooth and nail in Game 1, fending off a Wellsville rally in the seventh inning to win, 8-7.
A similar back-and-forth affair was shaping up in the finale before Eagle pitcher Avery Johnson had to exit in the top of the third inning after she fell ill.
Problem was, the Eagles brought only nine healthy players to begin with.
Without Johnson in the lineup, second baseman Grace Brenmeier assumed the pitching duties, and Wellsville played the balance of the game with eight players, and nobody playing second base. Additionally, the Eagles had to take an automatic out each time Johnson’s turn to bat occurred.
“It’s hurt them, having to take an automatic out each time around,” Iola head coach Chris Weide said. “That’s a group of primarily freshmen and sophomores. They’re gonna be really good.”
Even with Johnson’s exit, the road to victory wasn’t exactly an easy one. The Eagles rallied to score three times, pulling to within 10-8 in the top of the sixth inning.
But Iola ended things with a wallop. Zoie Hesse continued her record-breaking freshman campaign with a leadoff home run in the bottom of the sixth, triggering an eight-run outburst and ending the game 18-8.
The victories continue Iola’s white-hot surge as the 2024 season hits the home stretch. The Mustangs have won 11 of their past 12 to improve to 14-8. The 14 wins are the most for IHS since the 2009 season.
“Up and down the lineup, we’re getting better swings,” Weide said. “One through nine, everybody stepped up for us tonight.”
HESSE teamed up with Reese Curry and Brooklyn Holloway to provide the offensive punch in Game 1. The trio combined for nine of Iola’s 10 hits. Curry led the way with three doubles and four RBIs, while both Hesse and Holloway doubled twice and singled.
Curry’s two-run double in the bottom of the third, followed by Kaysin Crusinbery’s RBI grounder helped Iola erase a 3-0 deficit. Kinsey Schinstock opened the fourth inning with a single, leading the way for courtesy runner Leann Maloney to score on a passed ball, giving Iola its first lead of the game, 4-3. Hesse followed with a single and scored on Curry’s RBI double.
The Eagles closed the gap to 5-4 before Hesse, Curry and Holloway hit consecutive doubles in the bottom of the sixth, plating two runs in the process. Kyndal Bycroft drove in Iola’s eighth run with an RBI grounder.
Two singles and a pair of errors in the top of the seventh made things a bit tense. Wellsville closed the gap to 8-7 with runners on first and third with just one out before Mustang pitcher Elza Clift slammed the door. She recorded a strikeout and then induced a foul pop-up to Curry at first base to end the game.
The victory marked Clift’s first complete game as she works her way back onto the pitching circle after dealing with a sore arm earlier this season.
