GARNETT — Iola High’s Levi Ashmore set the tone early Monday afternoon, launching a 360-foot home run against Anderson County High. A SIX-RUN second inning did the trick for the Mustangs in the second game.
His Mustang teammates picked up the baton from there. Iola received contributions up and down the lineup and from the mound in a doubleheader sweep.
Iola thumped the Bulldogs 12-1 and 12-0.
“I saw some good things out there,” Iola coach Mark Percy said. “We had an opportunity to put a couple of guys out on the mound who hadn’t pitched varsity before.”
Shea Beasley pitched a perfect inning in relief of starter Aaron Barclay in game one before Clubine tossed two scoreless innings in relief of game 2 starter Drew Faulhaber.
After Ashmore started the opener with his blast, Mason Coons doubled and was driven home by Derrick Weir, giving Iola a 2-0 lead.
Trent Latta started a five-run rally in the top of the second with a two-out single and stolen base. Coons knocked him in with a single. Weir followed with a walk before Barclay’s towering shot to left went over the fence for a three-run home run and a 6-0 lead. Clubine singled, stole second and scored off of Faulhaber’s single, making it 7-0.
Ashmore started the third inning with a triple, followed by Latta’s RBI double. Weir’s single drove home Latta. Barclay followed with another hit before Clubine had an RBI single, pushing the lead to 10-1.
Coons’ double drove in Latta to start the fifth inning. He scored on Clubine’s third single of the game.
Ashmore had a home run and triple. Latta singled and doubled, while Coons had three hits, including two doubles. Weir went 2-for-2 with a pair of singles. Barclay had three hits, including his home run. Clubine had three singles. Faulhaber also had a single.
Barclay gave up four hits in his four innings of mound work with two strikeouts.
Two walks, an error and a balk were good for the first two runs of the frame before Ashmore drilled an RBI triple and the third run of the inning. Weir followed two batters later with a two-run triple. He, in turn, scored on Clubine’s single.
Two walks, three stolen bases and Weir’s RBI single gave Iola a 2-0 lead after one inning. Jacob Rhoads led off the third with a walk. He scored on an error.
Two walks and a hit batsman led to Iola’s final three runs in the fourth.
Faulhaber pitched three hitless innings with two strikeouts to take the win. Clubine gave up three hits and a walk in his two innings of relief. He also struck out two.
“I think we got a little home run hungry after Levi started off the game like that,” Percy said. “We settled down after that and quit swinging so hard. Any time you get two wins is a good thing for this team.”
The Mustangs (6-0) will travel to Prairie View this afternoon, weather permitting.
Mustangs sweep Anderson Co.
