PITTSBURG — Tuesday’s trip to Pittsburg served as a learning experience for the A Iola Indians.
Pittsburg Post 64 kept the Indians’ bats in check for most of the evening, sweeping the doubleheader by 10-0 and 12-5. It was a step backward for Iola, who was coming off a stellar performance at their home tournament over the weekend, finishing with a 4-1 record.
“They were a good team, but they weren’t that good. We didn’t come to play,” Indians head coach John Taylor said. “Our guys were sleepwalking through everything, and not doing their job. You can’t play baseball like that, especially when you hope to win.”
Iola failed to muster a hit in game 1. While the Indians’ bats were silent, Post 64 made noise. Pittsburg collected eight hits that turned into 10 runs over the course of four innings.
Avery Blaufuss was granted the start on the mound for Iola, allowing six earned runs and garnering only a single strikeout. It may have not been Blaufuss’ best performance, but the Crest pitcher didn’t receive much help behind him.
“They hit the ball well, but we also made some bad plays out there,” Taylor said. “We had some bad throws, bad catches, and didn’t play like we were capable of. I’m not saying we would win that game, but it would have been a lot closer.”
Eli Adams’ right arm earned the start for game 2. The first-year Indian lasted an inning, giving up three hits and an earned run. Post 64 added three more runs off Iola’s defensive lapses to take a 4-0 lead into the second.
In the second, Cooper Riley broke Iola’s hitless streak with a double to left field. Still, the Indians were unable to find a way to get on the scoreboard.
Iola’s coaching staff went with Gavin Paige for the second inning, allowing four runs before his one-inning stint was complete. Mac Leonard would replace Paige for the final three innings, earning two strikeouts and giving up two runs in his first mound appearance of the season.
The only bright spot for the Indians came in the fourth and fifth innings. Two runs came across to start the fourth after a series of wild pitches that saw Riley and TJ Taylor score safely. The Indians completed the fourth-inning scoring with an RBI from Brandon McKarnin, scoring Drake DeLaTorre.
In the fifth, Riley collected his second hit of the game with an RBI single to score Carter Hutton. Iola added another run later in the inning after Leonard’s at-bat led to a walk that forced a run home.”
The Indians have the rest of the week to atone or Tuesday’s play. They face Ottawa on Tuesday and have a tournament in Fort Scott over the weekend.
Taylor said he is excited for the trip to Fort Scott, and looks forward to seeing how Iola fares against top competition in their age group.
“We get to play kids that are close to our age, and it is a 16U tournament not a 17U,” Taylor said. “We have a bunch of young kids, and only have one player that is 17. I think it is a good measuring stick, because it is a showcase tournament.”
