Iola High’s softball team has had its defensive struggles this young season.
So it was perhaps fitting that one of the rarest plays in the game — a triple play — proved key in the Mustangs’ 7-4 win over Prairie View Tuesday.
The fun happened in the top of the fifth inning, with Iola nursing a precarious 5-2 lead. Back-to-back singles and a double closed the gap to 5-3, with the tying runs in scoring position.
The Buffalos went with a bunt attempt to bring home a run, but instead, Iola’s pitcher Elza Clift retrieved the ball in a flash, putting in motion a sequence of throws to tag out runners at second base, home plate and third, in that order to retire the side.
“It was huge,” Mustang head coach Chris Weide said afterward. “The girls were communicating and were in the right spots. It fired them up and it carried to the end of the game.”
Alas, Iola’s momentum didn’t extend to the second game of Tuesday’s doubleheader. The Buffalos broke open a close game with five-run rallies in both the fourth and fifth innings to cruise to a 12-0 victory.
Iola entered action Tuesday down three starters, including starting catcher Reese Curry, who is out for a week or longer due to a concussion, and outfielder Alana Mader, who continues to recover from an ankle injury.
“We had some girls step up for us today,” Weide said.
Clift and Harper Desmarteau got things started in Game 1 with back-to-back singles in the bottom of the first. Two walks and an error followed, and suddenly Iola led, 3-1.
Prairie View cut the deficit to 3-2 before Zoie Hesse opened Iola’s third inning with a double. Kyndal Bycroft reached on a walk, and both wound up coming around to score on errors, pushing Iola ahead 5-2.
That set up the pivotal fifth-inning sequence.
Iola made Prairie View rue the missed opportunity in the bottom of the fifth. Desmarteay was hit by a pitch and moved to second on Hesse’s single. Kaysin Crusinbery’s fly ball moved both runners up a base before Desmarteau scored on a passed ball.
Kinsey Schinstock opened the sixth with a single and promptly moved to second on the throw back to the infield. Courtesy runner Bailie Crooks moved to third on Leeann Maloney’s sacrifice bunt and scored on Faith Warden’s RBI grounder.
That was more than enough for Clift, who struck out seven and allowed five hits and two earned runs.
Hesse paced the offense with a single and double, while Clift, Desmarteauand Schinstock all had singles.
