CHANUTE — The Iola Junior Post 15 Indians stayed above .500 following Wednesday’s split with Chanute Post 180.
After blasting Chanute with a 21-5 victory in the opener, the Indians could not hang on in the second game, as Chanute pulled away with a walk-off line-drive.
“I’m so proud of these guys for fighting back,” Iola coach Ryker Curry said. “They did a good job of getting back into the game. They gave us a chance to win. We just have to be a little better on the base paths and doing the little things right.”
Pitcher Lane Lord picked up the win after allowing a run on two hits and three walks over 4 1/3 innings. He tied starter Cade Curry in strikeouts with four each, relieving Curry in the third inning.
As the Indians’ pitchers settled in, their hitters were just warming up. Pitching miscues allowed Iola to take a 4-1 lead by the third inning, but Chanute rallied back to tie the game 4-4 before the fourth. An RBI grounder by Jaxen Mueller allowed the Indians to pull ahead, then Iola turned on the gas, scoring seven unanswered runs off RBIs from third baseman Ty Thomas and several infield errors.
Chanute responded with a run in the sixth, but 10 runs in the Indians’ final at-bat sealed the victory. Mueller ended the opener with a team-leading four RBIs, followed by Thomas with three and outfielder Max Ebberts with two. Lord tied Ebberts for the team lead in hits with two each.
THE INDIANS could not maintain their momentum in the finale. Despite trading blow-for-blow throughout the contest, Chanute landed the last punch for the win. An infield error in the top of the opening frame allowed Iola to take an early lead, but Chanute responded with six runs in their first at-bat.
The Indians rallied to tie 6-6 in the fifth inning. They scored a pair of runs in the fourth off a wild pitch and an RBI single by second baseman Andrew Donovan, then tied it in the fifth off RBI grounders from Lord and Mueller. But Chanute would not be denied in the end.
“We played well, but we can’t let walks get the better of us,” Curry said. “I think we did better all the way around. They worked their butts off every time they stepped out here.”
Thomas took the loss after coming on in relief in the sixth inning. Corbin Coffield had a team-leading three strikeouts, followed by Donovan with one.
Thomas, Donovan, Lord and Mueller tied for the team lead in RBIs with one each. Donovan and Ebberts tied for the team lead in hits as the pair were both successful in 2 of 3 at-bats.
“We’re a very young team, with an average age of 14 or 15 years old,” Curry said. “We almost, about eight out of 14 kids, are literally just going into high schoool. We will progressively get better. In the long run, it’s going to be awesome for these guys and I’m seeing improvement every time we come out here. It’s pretty cool to see.”
The Indians return to the diamond Friday, when they host Wellsville for a doubleheader. First pitch for the opener is at 6 p.m. with an 8 p.m. first pitch scheduled for the nightcap.
