Iola High’s evening was an abbreviated, yet successful, one Friday.
Their game was called due to weather with Iola leading, 3-2, and Independence batting with two outs in the top of the seventh, and the potential tying run on third base, to give the Mustangs the win.
The game was considered official because more than five innings had been played, head coach Ryan Latta explained.
Up until then, intermittent rains did little to douse the tension from a dandy pitcher’s duel between Independence’s Easton Ewing and Iola’s tandem of Nathan Louk and Ryker Curry.
The Mustangs got off to a quick start.
Brandon McKarnin’s two-run double in the bottom of the first scored Louk and Bradyn Cole.
Louk made the lead stand up until he and Curry combined for a run in the bottom of the fifth.
Curry doubled with two outs and nobody on base, and came around to score when Independence misplayed Louk’s hard ground ball to third base.
Meanwhile, the Mustangs stepped up defensively to keep the Bulldogs off the scoreboard. McKarning threw out an Independence runner at the plate to end the second inning, and Iola turned double plays in the third and fourth innings to snuff Bulldog rallies.
“Brandon had some great at-bats and big hits for us,” Latta said. “And the guys made some big plays in the field.”
Independence rallied for two in the top of the sixth, prompting Latta to insert Curry in on the mound with two outs and the tying run on second.
He forced a ground ball to third to end the threat.
The Mustangs left two runners on base in the bottom of the sixth, and Curry walked the leadoff batter in the top of the seventh. The runner advanced to second on a wild pitch and third on a passed ball, while Curry struck out the next two batters.
Latta had hoped to limit Curry’s usage after he missed his previous start due to a medical issue.
“He threw great,” Latta said.
That’s when Mother Nature intervened, with nearby lightning prompting the umpiring crew to clear the field.
A torrential rain storm arrived almost simultaneously, ending the night.
