Close friends and Iola American Legion Post 15 19U Indians pitchers Grady Dougherty and Cole Mathis both tallied shutouts during Tuesday’s 14-0, 2-0 sweep of the Fort Scott Freedom.
Post 15 catcher Tre Wilson belted the game-winning home run to secure the sweep in the finale, but it was shortstop Blake Ellis’ four-RBI performance in the opener that got the Indians’ bats going.
The Indians stand at 8-3 ahead of this weekend’s Mo-Kan baseball tournament.
“It was just confidence. I put in the work at practice,” said Ellis, whose fourth-inning, two-run homer secured a mercy-rule victory in the opener. “I was loose at the plate. I trusted my barrel and I got one.”
Tallying seven strikeouts in the mercy-rule shortened opener, Dougherty rode the wave of Iola’s successful at-bats while allowing just three hits.
Dougherty put the Indians on the scoreboard with an RBI single, then Mathis gave Iola a 3-0 advantage with a two-RBI double. Third baseman Easton Weseloh and first baseman Ryan Golden also had RBIs.
Wilson gave Iola a 6-0 advantage in the second, then the Indians poured on the runs from there with RBIs from Wilson, Dougherty and Weseloh until culminating with Ellis’s homer.
Ellis had a team-leading four RBIs, followed by Mathis and Wilson, with two apiece. Wilson also tied Dougherty for the team lead in hits with two each.
“I feel pretty good. I just wanted to give our guys some innings and I knew Fort Scott is pretty good every year,” Iola coach TJ Taylor said. “I just wanted to pitch our best guys and they came to play. We know the long ball is always in effect at this park.”
Fort Scott seemed much more formidable in the finale but Post 15’s defense remained firm with Mathis and Ryan Golden combining for the shutout. Mathis tallied seven strikeouts before handing over the reins to Golden.
Up 2-0, Golden forced a groundout, then struck out the next two batters to secure the sweep.
“I was losing it in that second or third inning, but I just had to trust myself and get back to basics,” said Mathis, who said he felt nervous until he heard the clap of Golden’s first pitch against the catcher’s mitt.
“That’s all it really was. I was overcompensating and not finding it. You just have to trust yourself. After [Golden threw that first pitch strike, I eased up a little in the outfield. When he’s on, he’s one of our better pitchers.”
Until Wilson’s game-winning homer, the Indians seemed in a stalemate with the Freedom with Dougherty accounting for the only Iola hit in the finale. After showing flashes of his power hitting all evening, Wilson’s shot over the left-center fence kept his reputation intact.
“I sit until I see a fast ball, and adjust for off-speed,” Wilson. “That’s what I did there. He threw me a fastball on the first pitch, and I lit it up.”
With the win, the Indians improved to 8-3. They open the MO-KAN Showdown in Topeka against Oak Grove American Legion Post 379 Saturday and games slated for Sunday against the Post 180 Sedalia Travelers and the Mule Club Legion. First pitch for Saturday’s game is at 2 p.m.
