The Iola High softball team put together their most complete performance in a clean sweep of Anderson County at home Tuesday.
The Mustangs (2-7) went down early in the first game but rallied in the bottom of the sixth inning for the 6-3 victory. Iola didn’t waste any time in the second game, scoring five runs in the first inning of a 7-4 win.
“From game one to what we’re doing now, it’s a totally different team,” said Iola head coach Chris Weide. “Hitting is all confidence and it can be contagious if one girl gets a hit. We struggled early but once we started scoring it kept going. It’s a total confidence deal.”
Game one
Iola got down 3-0 after the third inning but never seemed fazed and put together a late game comeback which would set the tone for the afternoon. Elza Clift was dominant on the mound, pitching every inning of both games for the Mustangs and only gave up seven runs.
The Bulldogs got on the board early behind Kalina Edgecomb’s three RBIs. Brenna Kohlmeier scored two runs while Tarin Rues crossed home plate for the other run. Edgecomb led Anderson County at the plate with two hits.
The Mustangs’ first run came in the bottom of the fourth inning from Kaysin Crusinbery.
Harper Desmarteau then cracked a two-run double over the center fielder’s head in the sixth, scoring two more runs for Iola and knotting the score at 3-3.
“Harper’s becoming a great player,” Weide said. “She’s stepped into that centerfield role and 99% of the time when it hits her glove she’s going to catch it. She’s a great outfielder and she’s hitting the ball really well. She’s a solid ballplayer.”
The scoring came in bunches in the sixth for the Mustangs. Clift sent an RBI single into the outfield for the 4-3 advantage. Then Natalee Lower laid down an RBI bunt for the 5-3 lead later in the sixth for the 5-3 lead.
Kyndal Bycroft also drove in two runs to help propel her Iola squad to a 6-3 victory.
Iola was led at the plate by Bycroft’s two hits and two RBIs while Reese Curry, Desmarteau, Aysha Houk and Clift each had one hit. Clift ended the first game in the circle allowing three runs on three hits with seven strikeouts in seven innings.
Game two
The Mustangs jumped ahead first and held the lead the entirety of game two. Clift held Anderson County to four runs on seven hits in seven innings for the 7-4 win.
Bycroft put Iola ahead 3-0 in the bottom of the first when she knocked a two-run single to left field. Desmarteau also drove in another run on an RBI single for the early 4-0 advantage. Lower then made it a 5-0 Iola lead on an RBI single to left in the first.
