FORT SCOTT — The A Iola Indians were crowned champions of the Adam LaRoche 16U Invitational tournament on Saturday in Fort Scott with a 10-7 win over the Olathe Vipers.
Iola steamrolled its way there with three impressive victories against McPherson and two different Natural Baseball Academy 15U squads before reaching the championship game.
Early scoring helped the Indians jump ahead of McPherson in their tournament opener on Friday. Carter Hutton opened the scoring with a two-RBIs double, giving the Indians a 2-0 lead after the first.
Eli Adams, Brandon McKarnin, Avery Blaufuss, and TJ Taylor each collected an RBI to give the Indians a 6-3 lead after the third inning. The Indians’ pitching duties were shared by committee. Trevor Church and Eli Adams featured in the first two innings, and Jack White pitched the final five to secure the Indians’ 6-2 victory.
Natural Baseball Academy (NBA) of Olathe fielded two 15U teams for the two-day tournament. Against NBA (team 1), the Indians rattled off 15 runs in four innings to capture a 15-0 run-rule victory.
Eight Indians collected RBIs, with Drake DeLaTorre leading the pack with three, and Trey Sommer, Gavin Page, and Taylor each collecting two apiece.
The big win carried a load of momentum into Saturday’s games, with the Indians taking on NBA (team 2). Once again, Iola’s bats flexed their strength.
The Indians combined for seven runs in the second and third innings, giving Iola the juice it needed to carry them the rest of the way. Iola scored 12 runs on seven hits, with the opposition committing 10 errors that played its part on the scoreboard.
Church pitched all six innings before the game was cut short due to Iola’s eight-run lead after five innings. Church finished with five strikeouts, allowing nine hits and four earned runs to help Iola reach the championship game against Olathe.
In the championship, Iola trailed for the first time all weekend after Olathe jumped on the board in the first inning. The Indians battled back in the third, taking a 2-1 lead off an RBI from Eli Adams.
Unlike the three previous games of the tournament, Olathe made the Indians earn their feathers. Olathe regained its lead with four runs in the fourth inning, taking a 5-2 lead.
The Indians’ offense continued to answer the call, adding two runs in the fourth before exploding for six in the fifth inning. Cooper Riley, Taylor, and Page each collected two RBIs in the fifth, giving Iola a 10-5 lead entering the sixth.
Olathe scored two more runs in the sixth, but that would be their final chance at the plate due to time, giving Iola the 10-7 championship victory. McKarnin was credited with the win, allowing two runs while mustering a single strikeout in two innings pitched.
The Indians will be at home on Tuesday to face Garnett at 6 p.m.
