COLBY — When Trent Latta allows zero earned runs and just two hits while racking up 10 strikeouts in a complete game effort on the mound, the Indians end up as the victor 99 out of 100 times.
On Wednesday night, Iola found out how cruel the odds can be.
The Colby Sluggers shut out Iola 1-0 in the opening round of the American Legion AA State Tournament despite Latta’s dominant pitching performance.
“We just didn’t hit,” coach Roland Weir said. “Plain and simple. I mean we hit the ball but it was pop-ups or fly-outs. We had a couple opportunities here and there but we just couldn’t get a hit.”
Iola recorded just four hits and was shut out for the first time since facing Ottawa on June 26. With the loss, the Indians drop down into the losers’ bracket where they would have to win six straight games in order to claim the state title and advance to the regional tournament.
Colby was put in position to upset Iola only because it was chosen to host the state tournament, therefore earning an automatic bid. The Sluggers did not win their zone, so in most scenarios their season would have already been over.
Instead, Colby advances in the winners’ bracket after taking advantage of some costly mistakes in the second inning.
Indians shortstop Kason Siemens committed an error to allow Dru Keen to reach base safely. Colby’s Caleb Mazenec hit into a fielder’s choice to replace Keen as the Sluggers’ runner on first.
The Indians then failed to catch Mazenec stealing second, and minutes later, he scored off an RBI double.
It was the first hit Latta surrendered and it wound up being just one of two hits for Colby throughout the entire seven-inning game.
“Trent did a hell of a job,” Weir said. “They just didn’t give him any support. Trent pitched well, well enough to deserve a win. Give him his props. We just didn’t hit.”
The Indians’ four hits were all within the first five innings and all four were singles.
Hunter Murrow, Iola’s leadoff hitter, was able to find his way to third base after kicking the game off with a base hit. But Latta, Derrick Weir and Keanen Badders — the Indians’ No. 2 through No. 4 hitters — went down one-two-three to leave Murrow stranded in scoring position.
By the end of the game, Iola was 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position, which includes the Indians’ squandered opportunity in the bottom of the seventh when Ethan Sigg represented the tying run on second base.
For Roland Weir, it was toughest to see the top of his lineup fail to produce when the team needed it most.
“My top three (hitters) are my studs,” he said. “I figure if they’re at the top of the lineup and they roll, the rest of them follow suit. But it just didn’t happen.”
Instead, Weir’s top three batters went a combined 1-for-9. Granted, they never struck out — the Indians only had one strikeout in the entire game — but they could never find an open hole in the Sluggers’ defense.
This comes less than a week after Iola put up 18 runs in one inning and batted around three-and-a-half times.
“I told them I wanted them to make this a statement game,” Weir said. “So I might have put too much pressure on them. That’s my fault.”
Regardless, Weir said he’s not too concerned about his squad’s ability to bounce back. Iola recovered to win the zone tournament last week after dropping one game to Silver Lake.
Iola took on Wellington this afternoon in order to keep its state title hopes alive. Weir believes his players have it in them to perform well once again with their backs against the wall.
Results from today’s games will be in Saturday’s Register.
Indian bats fall silent in 1-0 heartbreaker
