OTTAWA — Trailing by three runs and down to their final at bat in the regulation seven-inning game, Iola AA’s Indians came up with what they needed.
Actually, Iola American Legion Post 15’s AA Indians were down to the final out in Wednesday’s Zone 2 championship game. Ottawa, the hosting team, was one out away from sending Iola to the losers bracket of the zone tournament.
Ottawa couldn’t get the final out.
Mason Coons singled with one out in the bottom of the seventh. Braden Larson had a base hit with two gone. Iola was still alive in the winners bracket final.
Shortstop Levi Ashmore, who had his second straight four hit night in the tournament, connected for an RBI single. Iola’s offense caught fire.
Clint Heffern, second baseman, came through with a single to drive in a run. Ottawa elected to intentionally walk Jerrik Sigg, Iola’s center fielder, to load the bases.
Iola catcher Drew Walden, who had struck out three times and hit by a pitch in the game, delivered the final blow. Walden cranked out a two-run walk-off single to right field allowing Iola to win 8-7.
The AA Indians play the winner of Ottawa and Osawatomie. Those two teams play at 6 o’clock tonight on Ottawa’s Drake Diamond in the losers bracket final.
Iola and the winner play at 8:30 tonight in the championship game. If a second game is needed to determine the zone champion and berth in the state American Legion tournament, it will be at 6:30 p.m. Friday.
“It wasn’t pretty but we got the job done late in the game. Our pitching kept us in the game. Jarred and Mason kept battling against their hitters,” said Mike Taylor, Iola AA head coach.
“Jerrik made two game-saving, diving catches in the last two innings. The hits were to the right-center gap and he ran them down.”
Ashmore drove in four runs on his three singles and a two-run home run that came in the sixth. Iola trailed 3-0 after three innings.
Heffern and Larson each had two singles. Sigg tripled and Dalton Smith doubled. Walden and Coons each had a single.
Jarred Latta was the starting pitcher for Iola and went 4 2/3 innings. Latta was charged with five runs on nine hits and four walks plus he struck out three. Coons got the win in relief pitching 2 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on four hits and striking out one.
