CHANUTE — Iola High had no trouble getting runners on base Friday.
It was getting those runners back home that was the problem.
The Mustangs left runners in scoring position in five of seven innings, failing to score in a 4-0 season-opening defeat.
Iola hosts Burlington Tuesday.
“We’d like to have had a different result,” Ryan Latta said after his Iola head coaching debut. “I was pleased for the most part. We just couldn’t get much going.”
Chanute’s Caden Schwegman was the primary catalyst for the Blue Comets. He walked and came around to score on a passed ball and wild pitch in the bottom of the second. He then keyed Chanute’s fourth inning with an RBI double before scoring on a ground ball. Finally, his sacrifice bunt with one out in the bottom of the fifth provided the fourth and final run.
Iola had no such good fortune with its scoring chances.
Jarrett Herrmann led off the first with a single. Ryker Curry immediately bunted him over to second, but Chanute starter Kam Koester then struck out the next two batters to end the threat.
Bradyn Cole singled and Aiden Jones walked to lead off the bottom of the second, but Jones was thrown out trying to steal before Koester induced an inning-ending strikeout.
TJ Taylor singled to lead off the third, but he was stranded there without advancing.
Missed scoring chances continued through the middle innings.
Dillon Bycroft and Cole hit back-to-back singles to start the fourth, but they, too, were stranded without advancing.
Herman’s two-out double in the fifth went for naught, then Cole singled with two out in the sixth and moved to second when Brandon McKarnin was hit by a pitch. But Chanute reliever Parker Manly induced a ground ball to end the threat.
A two-out walk to Herrmann in the seventh and final inning was Iola’s final scoring threat.
Curry got the start on the mound for Iola, and allowed three hits with three walks and three strikeouts in 3 ⅓ innings. Nathan Louk came on in relief and gave up two hits in 2 ⅔ innings with three strikeouts.
