OTTAWA — A double by sophomore Trent Latta touched off a five-run fifth inning for Iola High’s Mustangs Monday evening. The second-seeded Mustangs hadn’t been able to mount a scoring threat until the fifth against the seventh-seeded Prairie View High’s Buffalos.
Once Trent Latta got on base in the fifth, the Mustangs’ bats came alive and they walked off Ottawa’s West Field with a 6-1 victory. The win came in the first round of the 2012 Kansas Class 4A Regional Baseball Tournament.
The Mustangs moved into the semifinal round today against Southeast Kansas League foe Fort Scott. Fort Scott High’s Tigers held off Paola High’s Panthers 5-4 Monday.
Iola and Fort Scott play at 4 o’clock on West Field. The winner advances into tonight’s championship game at 6 o’clock on Drake Field, just east of West at Ottawa’s Orlis Cox Complex.
Ottawa, host team, run-ruled Anderson County 12-0 on Monday and Osawatomie defeated Louisburg 8-0 in the other side of the bracket. Ottawa and Osawatomie play at 4 o’clock today on Drake Field.
Tonight’s champion advances to the 2012 Kansas Class 4A State Baseball Tournament in Salina, May 25-26.
Jake Bradley of Prairie View had kept the Mustangs at bay at the plate through innings. Iola junior Aaron Barclay got the start on the mound and only allowed one run through four innings.
The Buffalos scored on three hits — a single apiece by Dillon May and Brandon Fisher and a double by Matt Ferguson — in the fourth inning.
With Trent Latta at second to open the fifth inning, senior Devon Conner put down a sacrifice bunt to move the runner to third base. Senior Jarred Latta hit the baseball hard enough that he got one via a Prairie View error and Trent Latta beat a high throw to the plate to score the tying run.
Jarred Latta ended up at second on the play at the plate. Levi Ashmore, a junior, connected for an RBI single then senior Clint Heffern singled. Jerrik Sigg, a senior, ripped a double to drive in a run. With two gone, sophomore Derrick Weir delivered a two-run single.
Iola added a run in the sixth. Again, Trent Latta drew a leadoff walk and stole second base. Conner’s ground-out moved him over and Jarred Latta hit an RBI single.
Barclay had run into a bit of a jam in the top of the sixth. He went 5 1/3 innings and gave up four hits and had three strikeouts. Barclay issued back-to-back walks in the sixth with one gone and gave way to Clint Heffern in relief.
Clint Heffern gave up a hit that loaded the bases. He got the next Buffalo batter to hit into a 6-4-3 double play to end the Prairie View scoring threat and the inning.
In the top of the seventh, Clint Heffern and the Mustangs worked 1-2-3 inning to send the Buffalos home. Heffern finished the game with two strikeouts.
Sigg ended with a single and a double for the Mustangs. Ashmore had two singles. Trent Latta doubled. Clint Heffern, Weir and Jarred Latta each had a single.
