GARNETT -— Iola American Legion Post 15’s AA Indians are going to have to work overtime on their quest to reach the 2011 Kansas American Legion AA State Tournament.
The AA Indians dropped an 11-6 decision to Burlington to open this week’s Kansas American Legion AA Zone 3 Baseball Tournament. The Indians fell behind early in Tuesday’s game at Garnett.
With the loss, Iola will have to battle through the losers bracket in the double-elimination tournament, starting tonight.
The Indians play Garnett at 8 o’clock in Garnett. Linn County and Chanute play at 6 o’clock.
On Monday, Baxter Springs defeated Linn County 12-4 and Fort Scott swiped an 8-7 decision from Chanute. Baxter Springs plays Fort Scott at 6 p.m. Thursday. Burlington plays Osawatomie at 8 p.m. Thursday.
Winners of tonight’s losers bracket games play the losers of Thursday’s games on Friday. The winners bracket final is at 10 a.m. Saturday then two losers bracket games are slated for 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday.
The zone championship game is at noon Sunday. The winner advances to the 2011 Kansas American Legion AA State Tournament next week at Ottawa.
For Iola Tuesday, not much went right. The Indians used four pitchers, who combined to give up 15 hits and four walks. Iola had two errors in the game.
Burlington scored six runs in the first inning. Iola never could catch up.
The Indians scored two runs in the third to make it 8-2. Levi Ashmore singled and Jerrik Sigg had a one-out double. After Corey Taylor walked, Ryan Latta doubled in two runs.
Taylor had a two run home run in the sixth. Ryan Latta singled and scored on an error. Iola trailed 10-5.
Burlington scored a run in the seventh. Iola got it back with a leadoff home run by Mason Coons.
Ryan Latta had two singles and a double for Iola. Ashmore hit a single and a double. Taylor and Coons each had a home run. Sigg doubled and Dalton Smith and Kris Collins had a single apiece.
Smith was Iola’s starting pitcher and was charged with six runs on six hits and one walk in one inning of work. Coons pitched three innings, allowing two runs on seven hits and had three strikeouts.
Ethan Ericson threw one inning and recorded a walk and a strikeout. Sigg pitched two innings and gave up three runs on two hits and two walks with one strikeout.
Iola AA loses Zone 3 opener
