Levi Ashmore has long contended his Iola High baseball squad is capable of being “feisty and scrappy” at the plate, making life miserable for opposing pitchers.
You can add “powerful” to the list of adjectives.
The Mustangs pounded out eight extra base hits Tuesday, running away with an 11-4 victory over visiting Parsons.
Leading the charge were junior Grady Dougherty, who homered twice and doubled, while driving in four, and senior Ben Kerr, who tacked on a pair of solo home runs.
“That’s what the guys are capable of,” Ashmore said. “It doesn’t surprise me a whole lot, but you love to see it happen. They’re great players, great hitters.”
It was hardly a two-man show.
Landon Weide started his 3-for-4 day with a double in the bottom of the first. He scored on Tre Wilson’s RBI grounder.
Kerr’s first home run pushed Iola ahead, 2-1. Ashton Hesse reached on a walk, moved to third on Lucas Maier’s single and scored on a wild pitch. Korbin Cloud’s RBI grounder made it 4-1.
Mac Leonard got into the act in the bottom of the fourth, when he smacked a leadoff double, moved to third on Kerr’s ground-out and scored on a balk.
The Vikings closed the gap to 5-2. The Mustangs replied quickly with Dougherty’s two-run blast in the bottom of the fourth.
Kerr’s second home run led off the fifth.
Parsons’s Tra Mack pulled the Vikings to within 8-4 on a two-run home run in the top of the sixth, but Dougherty answered once again in the bottom of the inning, going deep with Wilson on second base. Maier added an RBI single later in the frame for the final tally.
That was more than enough for Mustang pitchers Cloud, Weide and Isaac McCullough.
Cloud pitched the first four innings, allowing four hits with four strikeouts. Weide pitched two innings, striking out one and allowing four hits. McCullough pitched a hitless inning of relief, striking out one.
“All three of those guys threw well,” Ashmore said. “Korbin’s been like that for three years now. Landon is just a great competitor, either in football, basketball or baseball, and whether he’s playing shortstop, centerfield, hitting, you name it. I feel very comfortable going to him. And Isaac’s been a pleasant addition for us this year. He threw really well against Paola, and we wanted to give him an opportunity to stay fresh.”
