Indians too much for Chanute

Iola’s American Legion baseball squad didn’t bother to wait until Thursday to unleash some heavy fireworks.
The Post 15 AA Indians scored early and often Tuesday, putting more runners on base in the second inning of their first game than visiting Chanute did all night.
By the time the dust settled, the Indians were on the victorious side of a 14-0, 8-0 doubleheader sweep.
The victories lift Iola to 26-2 overall and 16-0 in KABA league play.
The action resumes for Iola this weekend in Chanute as part of the Paul Linblad Tournament. Iola takes on Girard at 6 p.m. Friday at Chanute’s Katy Park. The Indians play twice on Saturday, at 1:30 p.m. against Emporia and 4 o’clock against Burlington. Tournament play wraps up Sunday evening at 6:30 against host Chanute.

STARTER TRENT Latta was in control early in the opener. He struck out four in his four-inning, one-hit bid. He allowed only a first-inning single to Chanute’s Grant McMillen and a leadoff walk in the second to Alex Son. Neither baserunner made it to second base.
The Indian offense had no such trouble.
Levi Ashmore’s leadoff walk and two stolen bases led to Iola’s first run. He scored on Mason Coons’ single.
The floodgates opened in the second inning.
Drew Faulhaber walked to lead off the second. He stole a base and scored on Eric Heffern’s RBI single. Latta followed two batters later with a two-run double. Coons singled to drive in another run. Bradon Larson’s single scored another.
The fun continued in the third. Heffern led off with a single and scored on Ashmore’s double. Latta’s single drove in Ashmore. Weir followed with a two-run single.
Larson pushed the lead to 13-0 with a two-run blast over the left field wall. Faulhaber followed with a walk, advanced to second on Tyler Clubine’s single and scored on Heffern’s third single of the game.
Coons and Heffern each delivered three hits to pace the Indians. Larson had a home run and single. Ashmore and Latta each had two hits, including a double. Weir singled twice; Clubine once.
Son took the loss for Chanute, allowing seven hits and three walks in two innings. He struck out three. Aaron Haviland pitched one inning of relief, allowing eight hits with a walk.

IOLA PUT plenty of runners on base in the second game, but came up largely empty in the first two innings, stranding runners on second and third in both frames.
Heffern’s RBI single in the second scored Nathan Whitcomb for Iola’s only run to that point.
The proverbial dam burst in the third.
Coons’ one-out double preceded Jarred Latta’s two-run triple. Jarred Latta scored when Aaron Barclay reached on an error. Whitcomb blasted the first pitch he saw in his at bat for a two-run home run, pushing the lead to 6-0.
Iola scored twice more in the fourth. Trent Latta drove in Heffern with a single and scored when Coons followed with a double.
Whitcomb took it from there. He allowed only two hits in his five innings of work, a McMillen double in the first and a Son single in the fourth. He walked two and struck out 11.
Coons capped his perfect day at the plate — 6-for-6 — with three hits in the nightcap, including a double. Heffern also was perfect at the plate, going 1-for-1 in the second game. Trent Latta doubled, while Jarred Latta tripled. Whitcomb’s only hit was his home run.
McMillen was saddled with the loss. He allowed five hits and six runs in three innings of work, although only one of the runs was earned. Matt Keenan allowed two hits and a walk in his one inning of work.