The Iola Hormigas’ three-game win streak came to a frustrating end following Wednesday’s 16-11 loss to the Santa Fe Fuego.
Snarky verbal jabs eventually devolved into foul-language fueled tantrums, culminating in a dugout clearing conversation after a contested tag at second base in the sixth inning as the Fuego pulled away with six runs in the eighth inning to secure the win.
“We thought we had a great chance at winning tonight,” Hormigas coach Derrick Dominguez said. “With pitching, we had 15 walks on the mound. We have to be better than that and trust our defense a little more. It’s alright, we dropped one. We go to Blackwell Thursday. I think we can win all three there.”
Outfielder Ramses Velasquez provided fireworks while leading off the first inning with a solo home run, his fifth this season.
Velasquez tied fellow outfielder Miguel Tejada Jr. for second in RBIs with two each.
The Fuego and Hormigas matched each other run-for-run until the fifth inning. Third baseman Jorge Carreo, a recent addition who spent 2024 on the Austin Weirdos, drove in two of his team-leading four RBIs on an double to give Iola a 7-4 advantage.
Santa Fe rallied with three runs in the sixth, taking the lead on a third-base balk, and secured the win with six runs in the eighth inning.
Despite tallying a team-leading four strikeouts, reliever Sebastian Suarez took the loss allowing five runs and seven walks. Starter Jesus Audeves posted a strikeout over 4 1/3 innings while allowing six walks and five runs. Reliever Jacob Strobel allowed six runs on three walks but tallied three strikeouts in the eighth and ninth innings.
Velasquez had a team-leading three hits, tying Carreo, followed by outfielder Miguel Tejada Jr. and first baseman Nicholas Chavez, who had two each.
Lamenting the end of the win streak, Dominguez said he feels confident moving forward. After adding Velasquez, pitcher/infielder Colin Sepulveda and Carreo to the lineup since June, he does not foresee many changes or additions from here.
“What we got here, this is it. This is what we’re going to war with,” Dominguez said. “We don’t have to be on edge thinking, am I going somewhere else? These are our guys. This is our team. I believe we can be a playoff team for sure. I’m confident every time we step on the field, especially our home field, that we can get the job done.”
The Hormigas (7-15) can make up significant ground in the wild card chase Thursday, Friday and Saturday on the road against the Blackwell Flycatchers.
They host the Garden City Wind (21-3) Sunday in Kansas City at Satchell Paige Stadium, then Monday and Tuesday at Allen Community College. First pitch for Monday’s game is 6 p.m.
