Iola falls in semifinals, finishes in 4th place

LE SUEUR, Minn. — Randy Latta stood outside Iola’s dugout after the Indians had just clinched a spot in the regional tournament on Aug. 1.
“There’s one word for this team,” Latta said. “Heart.”
After surviving scare after scare throughout the entirety of the season, the Indians finally had their heart broken Saturday.
Wisconsin Dells, the Wisconsin state champion, eliminated Iola in the semifinals of the Central Plains regional with a 17-2 blowout in just five innings.
It was the first time coach Roland Weir’s Indians were run-ruled in a game this season.
“That’s baseball,” Weir said. “It was just one of those games … It became like batting practice for them.”
Wisconsin Dells advanced to the championship to ultimately fall to Foley, which represented Minnesota as the state champion. Iola’s only two losses in the tournament came to Foley in the pool round and Wisconsin Dells in the single-elimination round.
Because the Indians’ game against Wisconsin Dells came before the other semifinal game between Foley and Carrington (North Dakota), Iola was technically the first one out of the final four and therefore received fourth place in the regional.
Weir’s American Legion team advanced further than any squad in program history in the regional tournament, and it did so with a limited roster throughout the year.
“For them to play with their backs against the wall all year just shows what kind of kids these are,” Weir said. “They set the new bar for Iola.”
Saturday’s semifinal seemed as if it was just an outlier for the Indians’ season, which ended with a 32-9 record overall.
Iola had become accustomed to run-ruling its own opponents with its high-power offense led by Derrick Weir, Trent Latta and Hunter Murrow. But against Wisconsin Dells, the Indians’ lineup was shut down.
Iola recorded just five hits compared to Wisconsin’s 17. Kason Siemens, who started the matchup, earned the loss after giving up seven runs in one inning and a third.
Caleb D’Armond and Murrow then came in relief but couldn’t stop the parade of hitters from piling on even more.
It was a stark contrast to Friday night’s contest between Iola and Las Vegas, Nev., in the quarterfinals. The Indians advanced into the semifinals after a 2-1 victory and a stout pitching performance by Latta.
The Neosho County Community College pitcher struck out seven and allowed zero walks in seven innings of work. As a result from his performance on the mound and at the plate, Latta was the only Indians player named to the All-Tournament Team.
Iola will lose a good chunk of its team when it returns to the diamond next year, including Latta. Derrick Weir, Hunter Murrow and Caleb D’Armond will also be unable to play next season due to age limitations.
Roland Weir won’t be returning either. After three years as the Indians head coach, Weir compiled a 105-20 record. He led Iola to the state tournament each season, including a first-place finish in 2013.
But 2015 will go down as one of Iola’s most successful years after finishing fourth in the Central Plains regional. After leading this group for three seasons, Weir said he was happy to see his veterans end their American Legion careers with more success on the field than many of the program’s past teams.
“Hats off to them,” Weir said. “They certainly finished their careers on a high note.”