FORT SCOTT — Give ’em an inch...
Iola’s Senior American Legion squad extended its winning streak to 12 games Thursday, by taking full advantage of some erratic late pitching, and doing so in dramatic fashion. The Indians trailed Fort Scott’s E3 Freedom squad most of the way in the nightcap of their doubleheader before rallying for three runs in the top of the seventh and final innings. They did so while recording only one hit during the rally, Ryan Golden’s RBI single.
By then, Fort Scott already had walked four batters, misplayed a hard grounder for a run-scoring error, and allowed Iola to take the lead for good on a wild pitch. The 6-4 victory came on the heels of Friday’s opener, an 11-1 rout. Iola (18-3) returns to action Tuesday when two-time defending AAA state champion Pittsburg comes to town.
First pitch is set for 6 p.m. at the Allen Community College baseball diamond.
THURSDAY’S nightcap put Iola in an unfamiliar position — behind on the scoreboard. In their previous 11 straight victories, the Indians had trailed only three times in the course of those games for a combined four innings. But Fort Scott pushed across an early run and held a 1-0 lead until Iola’s Tre Sommer singled to lead off the fourth, stole second and third and scored on Brandon McKarnin’s RBI grounder.
Fort Scott responded promptly, breaking the deadlock with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning. Iola closed the gap with a two-out rally in the top of the fifth. Blake Elli.
