HUMBOLDT — The A Iola Indians extended their winning to eight games with two wins over Garnett on Tuesday at the Humboldt Sports Complex.
Iola trailed 4-0 after the top-half of the first inning in game 1, but that would be the only time the Indians trailed all night. The Indians run-ruled Garnett in game 1, winning 14-6 in five innings, and took game 2 comfortably 8-0.
Indians head coach John Taylor had high regards for his team’s offensive display.
“Our hitting has gone to something I was scared about — like if we were going to be able to score runs — to wow, we can hit the ball and score a ton of runs,” Taylor said. “I batted 11 guys, and there was not one guy I felt that couldn’t get on base. I feel good from top to bottom, and that is fun.”
Crest’s Avery Blaufuss was the featured arm for the Indians in game 1. After a lackluster display in the first inning, Blaufuss was locked in the rest of the way. He finished with seven strikeouts, and two earned runs while going the full five innings.
“We had a couple errors in the first inning that didn’t help him, and they had some hard-hit balls off him, but he settled in and got better as the game went on,” Taylor said.
The Indians leveled the score in the bottom of the first with RBIs from TJ Taylor and Maddox, along with a pair of wild pitches that allowed two runs to come home safely.
Iola’s offense continued to flex its muscle in the second inning. Blaufuss, Gavin Page, Brandon McKarnin, and Maddox Johson each picked up an RBI in the third inning, with the Indians scoring six runs in the second.
After Garnett inched two runs closer in the top of the third, Iola quickly punched back in the bottom half of the inning. McKarnin and Taylor collected their second RBIs of the day while Eli Smith snagged his first. The Indians took a commanding seven-run lead entering the fourth, running away with a 14-6 victory.
The Indians pitching staff was the highlight in game 2, with Johnson and Smith combining for a five-inning shutout. Smith relieved Johnson, going the final three innings while earning five strikeouts, including the first three batters he faced.
“We gave up one hit in five innings, so both guys did really well,” Taylor said. “Eli did a really good job coming in there for us, and did what I wanted him to do tonight!”
The Indians tallied eight runs on nine hits, with Drake DeLaTorre leading with a team-high two RBIs in the five-inning affair. Four more Indians each earned an RBI, including Carter Hutton, Smith, Taylor, and Blaufuss.
The 8-0 victory moves Iola to 12-3 on the season. The Indians will host Ottawa at Allen Community College on Thursday, with first pitch coming at 6 p.m.The Indians are in Emporia Saturday and Sunday for a tournament.
