Tough third innings made for a tough night on the diamond for Iola’s Junior American Legion baseball squad Tuesday.
Visiting El Dorado broke open what had been a 2-0 lead by scoring seven in the top of the third in Game 1 of Iola’s final regular season doubleheader of 2024.
The Indians responded with three of their own in the bottom of the inning, but drew no closer in an 11-3 setback.
A similar pattern followed in the nightcap. The teams were knotted at 1-1 before El Dorado erupted for five in the third before fending off Iola’s late challenge in a 7-5 win.
Iola sets its sights on the Class A Zone Tournament, which gets underway Friday afternoon at Pittsburg.
EARLY control issues in Tuesday’s opener allowed El Dorado to grab a quick 2-0 lead with only one hit. Four walks and a hit batter played a large role.
El Dorado found its offense in the third, putting together eight hits and pushing the lead to 9-0.
Iola found its footing in the bottom of the frame.
Brodon Westerman, Colton Thompson, Easton Weseloh and Kale Pratt hit consecutive singles to start the frame. Pratt’s single scored Thompson; Weseloh scored after the ball got away from the El Dorado catcher. Pratt did the same with two outs, making it 9-3.
But Iola managed only one hit after that, Brock Michael’s fifth-inning single.
Weseloh, Pratt, Michael, Broderick Peters, Westerman and Thompson all had singles.
Weseloh allowed three hits with a pair of strikeouts over two innings. Pratt pitched the final three innings, striking out one.
WESELOH made El Dorado pay early for a dropped third strike in the nightcap. He stole second, moved to third on a grounder and scored on Michael’s ground-out to third.
But four singles, two hit batters and a walk greased the skids for El Dorado to take a 6-1 lead in the third inning.
Michael rapped an RBI single in teh bottom of the third for the Indians. Pratt came home on a balk, slicing the deficit to 6-3.
