A tough final inning spoiled what was shaping up to be a doubleheader sweep for Iola’s Senior American Legion baseball team Tuesday.
The Post 15 Indians had rallied from a 2-0 deficit to lead visiting Burlington 3-2 into the top of the fifth and final inning.
But the Wildcats erupted for seven runs in the top of the fifth to pull home a 9-4 victory.
The loss came after Iola’s Korbin Cloud and Brandon McKarnin shut out Burlington over seven innings of Game 1 in a 2-0 victory.
Iola will take on Independence Thursday.
Cloud and McKarnin were equally effective at keeping Burlington’s potent offense under wraps. Cloud pitched the first 3.2 innings, allowing two hits with three strikeouts. McKarnin came on in relief in the fourth, and pitched the rest of the way, allowing two hits over 3.1 innings with a pair of strikeouts.
Iola came up empty in the bottom of the first, despite leading off the frame with singles from Korbin Cloud and Blake Ellis and a double from Rogan Weir. The rally ended with a strikeout and ground ball.
Kyler Isbell was hit by a pitch to lead off the second and moved up to second when Logan Page singled. A double play threatened to short-circuit that threat as well before Avery Blaufuss lined an RBI single for a 1-0 lead,
Weir was hit by a pitch to lead off the third. He moved up to second on Tre Wilson’s single before a throwing error on a pickoff attempt allowed Weir to make it home safely for the final run.
As they did in the first three innings, the Indians left runners in scoring position in frames 4, 5 and 6, but the pitching of Cloud and McKarnin rendered the missed chances moot.
Weir paced the offense with a pair of doubles. Cloud, Ellis, Wilson, Page, McKarnin and Blaufuss all singled.
BURLINGTON jumped ahead 1-0 on a two-out double by Landon Ernst in the top of the first.
Iola continued its trend of leaving runners in scoring position while failing to push across a run in any of the first three innings.
That changed in the bottom of the fourth.
Grady Dougherty walked with one out and moved to third on Wilson’s single. Trey Sommer smacked a single to right, driving home both to knot the score at 2-2. Sommer then scored on a passed ball, giving Iola a 3-2 lead.
But Burlington responded promptly with four hits, three hits and a hit-batter fueling its big fifth-inning rally.
