Iola’s junior American Legion squad wrapped up the 2022 regular season in style Thursday.
The A Indians rallied for five runs in the fourth inning to defeat Kansas Chaos, a local 14-and-under traveling squad, in a 9-1 victory.
Then, both teams put forth spirited late rallies, battling to a 4-4 standoff.
The action puts Iola at 11-13-1 as the Indians prepare for the Class A Zone Tournament, which is slated to begin next weekend in Chanute’s Santa Fe Park. Tournament pairings have not been announced.
“It was a great night,” Iola head coach Mike Dougherty said. “We played a good game, and made it tough for them. We had good timing and were able to get everybody in the ball game.”
Iola scored first in the deadlocked game, when Ryan Golden singled and scored on Noah Gleue’s double in the top of the second.
That advantage lasted until the bottom of the third when Tre Wilson of Kansas Chaos laced a two-run single. He then scored on a double for a 3-1 advantage.
The Indians came up dry after loading the bases with no outs in the fourth, but they weren’t denied after rallying again in the fifth.
Walks to Lucas Maier and Payton Houk and a single by Blake Ellis loaded the bases. A wild pitch brought Maier home, and Grady Dougherty’s single led to a Chaos error that allowed Houk and Ellis to scamper home, pushing the Indians ahead 4-3.
Wilson came through in the clutch with a two-out RBI double in the chaotic Chaos fifth to tie the score. The game was called at the end of the inning.
Both Grady Dougherty andRyan Golden singled twice for the Indians. Gleue added a double, while Ellis, Ben Kerr and Korbin Fountain had singles.
Gavin Jones pitched the first three innings for Iola, scattering four hits with four strikeouts. Gleue allowed three hits over two innings of relief with a strikeout.
THE INDIANS made sure there was no such drama necessary in Game 1, even after Chaos scored without benefit of a hit in the top of the first. Nick Bauer walked and Kris Harding was hit by a pitch before Wilson reached on a fielder’s choice. Bauer then scampered home as part of a double steal to put Iola in arrears.
But singles by Gleue and Jones evened the score in the bottom of the second. A pair of bases-loaded walks to Ellis and Mason Sterling later in the inning gave the Indians the lead for good, 3-1.
Jones singled in Dougherty with two outs in the third to extend Iola’s cushion to 4-1.
