Mustangs, Titans split SEK showdown

Battling for the top spot in the Southeast Kansas League standings, Iola High’s Mustangs made sure there would be no undefeated SEK champion in 2011.
The Mustangs handed visiting Columbus High’s Titans their first league loss Monday. The Mustangs powered past the Titans 6-1 in the first game of the doubleheader at Riverside Park.
With the win, the Mustangs made it a three-way tie at the top but it didn’t stay that way. The Titans put themselves back atop the SEK with an 8-5 win in the nightcap.
Columbus is now 9-1 in league play and 9-3 overall. Pittsburg is 7-1 in SEK action with doubleheaders against Columbus and Iola left to play.
The Mustangs are in a tie with Fort Scott, which swept Labette County Monday, at 8-2 in SEK action. Iola is 12-2 overall while Fort Scott is 8-3.  Those two teams play at Fort Scott next Monday.
But before that doubleheader, the Mustangs have to travel to Altamont Friday for a makeup twin bill against Labette County. The teams were to have opened the season against each other in March but wet field conditions postponed the games. The Grizzlies are 2-6 and 3-7.
Home runs played a part in both games.
After Columbus produced a run in the top of the second inning of the opener, Iola took the lead for good in its half of the inning.
With two outs, Mason Coons and Aaron Barclay had back-to-back singles. Drew Walden parked a pitch over the fence for a three-run home run.
Iola manufactured a run in the third when Levi Ashmore singled and moved to second on a sacrifice  by Clint Heffern. Jerrik Sigg’s base hit drove in the run.
Walden singled with one gone in the fourth inning. Ashmore smashed out a two-run home run to put Iola up 6-1.
Sigg was the winning pitcher for Iola. He scattered six hits over seven innings, hit one batter and struck out six. Iola had two errors in the game.
Ashmore and Walden each had a home run and a single. Sigg hit two singles. Hitting a single each were Heffern, Coons and Barclay.
Columbus pushed across three runs in the top of the second inning in the second game. Iola came back to get a run in its half of the inning.
Coons doubled with one out and Walden reached on a two-out error by the Titans. Devon Conner had an RBI single.
Columbus had back-to-back home runs in the fifth —  a two run shot and a solo shot — to lead 6-1. The Titans’ leadoff hitter rang up a solo home run in the sixth as they scored two more.
In the bottom of seventh with two out, the Mustangs got a rally going. Heffern reached on an error followed by a single by Sigg.
Corey Taylor was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Braden Larson delivered a grand slam. That made it 8-5 before the game ended on a fly ball out.
Jarred Latta took the pitching loss for Iola. He worked 4 1/3 innings, allowing six runs on nine hits and had two strikeouts.
Heffern threw 1 2/3 innings, giving up two runs on three hits and one walk. Ashmore pitched one inning and had a strikeout.
Sigg had a single and a triple and Coons had a single and a double. Hitting a single each were Ashmore, Heffern and Conner.