CHANUTE — The Iola High baseball team used a late game stand and outscored Chanute 5-0 in the final innings for a 7-5 victory in Chanute on Friday.
The Mustangs (2-0) went down early through the first four innings, 5-2, but never believed they were out of the game. The Mustangs then scored five runs in the final three innings behind the bats of Tre Wilson and Carter Hutton.
“The very first thing I told them was that today told me a lot about them,” said Iola head coach Levi Ashmore. “I was kind of happy to get behind as weird as that seems because I wanted to see what they were about. They were never out of it, they played their tails off and came out with the win.”
Ashmore went with Korbin Cloud to start on the mound. The Comets scored a run in each of the first two innings. Cloud will serve as a reliable starter for this year’s Iola team.
“I thought Korbin threw really well,” said Ashmore. “We love Korbin and we want the ball in his hands. We gave up five runs in a game that we thought was very offensive.”
Chanute then brought home another three runs in the bottom of the fourth. Larsen Koester led the Blue Comets with three RBI’s while Rhett Smith drove in another run. Koester also knocked a team-high three hits and Smith scored two runs.
The Mustang’s Wilson, a freshman, sparked the rally in the bottom of the fifth inning when he smacked a stand-up triple and then scored shortly after on a Carter Hutton RBI single to bring it within 5-3. Cloud then knocked an infield single to short to bring home Hutton and make it a one run game, 5-4.
In the bottom of the sixth, Landon Weide delivered a runner on base by doubling down the left field line to knot the game up at 5-5.
One of the biggest game-changing plays came in the the sixth inning when Chanute’s leadoff hitter ripped a long fly ball to the left field wall which Hutton threw into the infield and was able to nab at third base for the first out of the inning.
“Carter’s having a ton of fun,” said Ashmore. “I think the biggest play of the game was when Carter threw out what would have been a leadoff triple. He hasn’t taken many reps in left field because we want to keep both catchers fresh. He had good at bats and he’s a kid that competes. You gotta love that.”
Hutton kept the heroics rolling in the bottom of the seventh when he drove home the game-winning run and then proceeded to steal home on a throw to second base for a 7-5 lead only moments later. Mustang reliever Mac Leonard then came on in the bottom of the seventh and retired the side for the win.
Iola was led at the plate by Leonard’s team-high two RBI’s while Jarrett Herrmann, Hutton and Weide each drove in one run. Iola had nine hits and Wilson and Herrmann each recorded two hits. Cloud finished on the mound serving up five runs through four innings.
Leonard came on in relief and tossed a shutout through the final three innings.
The Mustangs host Burlington on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m.
