OTTAWA — The AA Iola Indians’ bats popped in their season opener on Saturday in Ottawa. Iola combined for 26 runs in 11 trips to the plate, beating the Topeka Kansas Senators and Ottawa by an identical 13-2 scoreline.
Clearly, after a near year-long break from live action on the diamond, these Indians were ready to play.
“It was a lot of fun,” Indians head coach Jason Bauer said. “I didn’t expect us to play this well. We looked pretty good for only having had three practices.”
Iola High’s Washburn signee Cal Leonard led the way on the mound and behind the plate for the Indians.
After the Indians trailed 2-0 after the first inning against Topeka in game 1, Leonard shut down the Senators’ bats the rest of the way. In three innings of work, Leonard allowed two hits and earned four strikeouts while allowing only one earned run.
The Indians tallied nine runs in the second inning, starting with four runs off Topeka’s miscues on the mound and behind the plate. With the Indians leading 4-2, and the bases loaded, Leonard sent one over the fence to catapult Iola to a six-run lead. The Indians led 9-2 after the second inning.
“Cal hit the ball hard, and squared up quite a few balls — I was pretty impressed,” Bauer said. “After the first inning pitching, he was pretty dialed in.”
Iola added four more runs to their lead in the third inning. Once again, Leonard made an impact in the batters’ box, this time with an RBI single to center field. Zane Whitney added to Iola’s lead with a two-RBIs single. A passed ball allowed Brady Wiggin to cap Iola’s scoring for the game.
Crest graduate Zach Beckmon finished off Topeka in the fourth, helping the Indians secure a 13-2 victory run-rule victory. 
Nathan Louk opened the scoring for Iola in game 2. An error by Ottawa’s shortstop on the throw to first which allowed the Indians’ center fielder to cross home plate safely. Humboldt’s Jackson Aikens added to the lead with his first RBI of the season, and Leonard followed with a two-RBIs single.
The Indians scoring in the second didn’t stop there. Whitney chipped in his second RBI of the evening with a hard-hit ball to the gap in center field, and Louk made his way home once more to cap Iola’s scoring in the second. The Indians led 6-0 after the second inning.
Other than an RBI by Drake Sellman in the fourth, Iola’s offense remained fairly quiet in the middle innings. While the offense slowed, Iola’s pitching staff continued to do its part.
After a brief appearance pitching in game 1, Beckmon was granted the start for game two. He finished with one earned run, and seven strikeouts in five innings of work. Ryker Curry came in to relieve Beckmon, notching four strikeouts in his two-inning appearance.
The Indians pulled further away in the seventh after RBIs from Curry, Leonard, Beckmon, and Louk, putting the Indians ahead 13-2 entering the final half inning. Aikens relieved Curry for an easy one-two-three inning, giving the Indians a 2-0 start for the 2020 season.
Even though the Indians don’t have a state tournament to look forward to, they can still improve for the future.
