PITTSBURG — A comeback attempt fell short for Iola AA American Legion baseball squad Tuesday.
The Indians trailed Pittsburg 5-0 after three innings, and scored three times in the top of the fourth, but drew no closer in a 5-3 defeat.
The loss came in the second game of a doubleheader sweep at the hands of Pittsburg, which won the opener, 15-2.
The defeats drop Iola to 8-8 on the season with a home doubleheader against El Dorado scheduled for Thursday at Iola’s Riverside Park. First pitch is at 6 p.m.
Cooper Riley’s leadoff triple in the top of the fourth sparked Iola’s three-run rally. He scored on TJ Taylor’s RBI single. Sam Hull followed with a two-out double to bring home Taylor before Evan Lucke and Nathan Louk followed with singles to make it 5-3. Drake DeLaTorre then drew a walk to load the bases, but Pittsburg finally slammed the door by inducing a ground out to end the frame.
Iola had other opportunities, but came up empty after Trey Sommer doubled with one out in the fifth, and after Louk singled and DeLaTorre walked to lead off the first.
Kaiden Barnett took the pitching loss. He surrendered four hits and one earned run over three innings. Taylor pitched a hitless, scoreless inning of relief.
Louk paced the offense with two singles and a double. Hull and Sommer also doubled, while Riley tripled, and Taylor and Lucke had singles.
Pittsburg wasted little time in asserting control in the opener, scoring five in the first and nine in the second. The Indians were plagued by four errors. Louk surrendered seven hits on the mound, with a strikeout. DeLaTorre and Barnett pitched a combined two innings of relief, giving up three hits.
Iola’s runs came when Gavin Page walked with one out in the top of the second and scored on Barnett’s RBI double.
DeLaTorre singled and scored on Sommer’s RBI triple in the third for Iola’s final tally.
DaLaTorre singled twice in the contest. Sommer had a triple, Barnett a double and Hull a single.
