BURLINGTON — The Iola American Legion AA Indians kept up their winning ways Tuesday with a doubleheader sweep.
Iola erupted for 11 runs over the final four innings of its opener, a 12-4 win over Burlington, before pitching took over in game 2.
The Indians limited Burlington to two hits in the nightcap, a 5-1 win in a game featuring wooden bats.
The victories lift the Indians to 6-0. Iola opens the home portion of its schedule at 6 p.m. Thursday at Allen Community College’s baseball diamond.
A Mason Coons RBI single supplied Iola’s only run through the first three innings of the opener. Burlington struck for four runs in the third to lead 4-1.
The lead was short-lived.
Jared Latta’s single was followed by two walks, an error and a fielder’s choice before Levi Ashmore drilled a two-run single to give the Indians a 6-4 lead. Coons knocked in two more with a sixth-inning triple. A pair of passed balls and an RBI ground ball by Ashmore supplied the final three runs.
Tyler Clubine got the win, allowing six hits and two walks in three innings. Nathan Whitcomb followed with three perfect innings of relief with four strikeouts. Jacob Rhoads tossed the final inning, allowing a walk with a strikeout.
Coons had a triple and single to lead the Indian offense. Jared Latta had two singles. Cole Morrison singled twice, while Ashmore and Aaron Barclay both singled once.
BARCLAY tossed three hitless innings of the second game to pick up the win. He walked four and struck out five. Ashmore pitched two innings, allowing two hits and a walk with four strikeouts.
Eric Heffern led off the game with a walk. He stole a base and scored on a Derrick Weir ground ball.
Coons led off the fourth with a walk. He advanced on a wild pitch, went to third on a ground ball and scored on a second wild pitch to put the Indians up 2-0.
Four straight walks to start the fifth were followed by an RBI ground ball by Rhoads and Coons’ sacrifice fly for three more tallies.
The Indians won despite collecting only one hit, a leadoff single in the second by Trent Latta.
