High School Baseball: Mustangs 4, Buffalos 1
The first step toward the state tournament wasnt perfect, but the Iola baseball team did what it needed to do in a 4-1 win over Prairie View on Monday in the opening round of the 4A-II Frontenac regional tournament.
The win was the Mustangs third over the Buffalos this season after 11-1 and 11-4 wins in LaCygne April 9.
With the win, Iola advances on to face Girard in the regional championship.
The biggest thing was to win this game and we did that, Percy said. We just didnt look very good doing it.
Iola started things off with a run in the bottom of the first and pushed that to two with another run in the bottom of the fourth.
Prairie View cut Iolas lead to a run in the top of the fifth but Iola countered in the bottom of the inning with a run to keep its lead at two. The Mustangs scored a final run in the bottom of the sixth to close the game out.
Senior Isaac Vink earned the win after pitching the full seven innings through the sweltering heat, allowing one run on five hits and two walks. He struck out nine batters.
He pitched pretty well, Percy said. The only thing I wish that hed do a little better is to get ahead in the count a little bit more. But in almost all of the times he got down he came back and made them hit the ball. But for him to go the whole game in this heat, thats hard to do and thats a credit to his toughness.
The Mustangs struggled to hit throughout the entire game, only recording six hits total with sophomore Cal Leonard leading the way with two.
We didnt hit the ball like were capable at all, Percy said, Maybe its because their guys threw slow but I dont really know. I dont know what were thinking. We were pounding it in the dirt and hitting pop-ups. Its going to have to be different next game or well be in trouble.
And when Iola did get guys on-base, they rarely made it home. The Mustangs left 10 guys on the basepaths throughout the game.
We got guys on again and we just couldnt get them in, Percy said. Now one of them, when Isaac was caught at home, was my fault because I thought the ball had gone out farther but weve got to come through more when we have guys in that position.
The Mustangs were originally slated to play the championship game Monday night but thunderstorms forced host Frontenac to postpone the championship game for today at 3 p.m. Iola will take on third-seeded Girard.
The Trojans upset the two-seed and host Raiders in nine innings in the second game on Monday.
Junior Derek Bycroft is scheduled to get the start for the Mustangs.
