NEODESHA — Ryan Latta felt more chagrined than anything in the aftermath of a pair of blowout victories Friday.
Iola’s High’s Mustangs were in control from the outset, breaking open a tight game with a five-run fifth to defeat Neodesha, 11-0, in the first game of their doubleheader.
But it’s unlikely anybody could have envisioned what happened next.
When the beleaguered Bluestreaks ran out of effective pitchers early in the second game, Iola took advantage of 14 walks, 10 wild pitches and three hit batters — over two innings — of a 23-2 romp.
So lopsided was the result, Iola immediately returned to the field after retiring Neodesha in the second inning, ceding its third-inning at bats.
“It’s just one of those situations,” Latta said. “They went through all of their guys.”
Iola sent 13 batters to the plate in the first inning, and 21 in the second.
In between the free bases, Iola’s Carter Hutton singled three times, Brandon McKarnin and Landon Weide each had a single and double, while Cooper Riley and Trent Jones each had a single.
Meanwhile, a pair of junior varsity pitchers, Payton Houk and Grady Dougherty, each made their varsity debuts on the mound.
Houk tossed two hitless innings, with a pair of strikeouts. Dougherty struck out three.
“Payton did a good job for us,” Latta said. “And once Grady got used to the mound after two batters, he was pretty locked in and did a good job. I was glad to get those guys in.”
The aforementioned McKarnin was the key protagonist in the opening-game victory.
He pitched shutout baseball into the fifth inning, striking out six and allowing three hits. Mac Leoonard came on and struck out two over 1 1/3 innings.
“Brandon did a great job of getting his slider over the plate,” Latta said. “He worked with Lake (Johnson, assistant coach) on his delivery, and really did a good job of throwing strikes. That was key.”
In retrospect, perhaps the most surprising part of the night was Iola’s sluggish start at the plate.
