The Iola Mustangs got back on track while picking up their first Pioneer league win of the season with Tuesday’s 15-0, 7-6 sweep of the Prairie View Buffalos.
Shining on the mound and in the batter’s box, junior Jase Herrmann posted the team lead in virtually all statistical categories in the sweep — posting a shutout in the mercy-rule shortened opener and tying the game with a timely RBI in the finale.
Herrmann’s RBI triple in the opening frame got the Mustangs moving. Junior third baseman Austin Crooks’ sacrifice fly drove Herrmann in to give Iola an early 2-0 lead. Iola continued creating distance off RBIs from junior first baseman Roy Gordon and sophomore outfielder Reed Clift.
In the second inning, Herrmann struck again for the second of his team-leading four RBIs, then Crooks again drove him in with a sacrifice fly to give Iola a 6-0 lead. Iola added six more runs in the third inning, then three more in the fourth to end the contest before the fifth.
Herrmann ended the contest as Iola’s leading hitter — successful in 3 of 4 at-bats. Senior shortstop Nick Bauer, senior outfielder Tre Wilson and junior catcher Kale Pratt had two hits each. Crooks, Clift, Gordon and Wilson had two RBIs each.
Herrmann picked up the win after posting four strike outs over three innings in the 15-0 mercy-rule shortened opener. Freshman reliever Broden Emerson maintained the shutout while allowing one hit in his single inning of work.
It took a team effort to down the Buffalos in the finale as Herrmann’s eighth-inning RBI grounder sent the contest into extra innings. The game was ultimately decided after Clift reached home on an errant pitch.
Kale Pratt, Iola junior pitcher, comes on in relief during Iola’s home opener.
After going scoreless in the first three frames, Herrmann put Iola on the scoreboard after a costly errant pitch — tying the game 1-1. A back-and-forth battle ensued in the sixth inning, Herrmann posted Iola’s first RBI to once again tie the game. Crooks gave the Mustangs a 3-2 advantage after singling in Herrmann.
Following Herrmann’s eighth-inning RBI, both teams went scoreless in the ninth. Prairie View scored a pair of runs in the 10th. Iola responded with Wilson jumping into scoring position with a lead-off triple, then Crooks and Wilson scoring off errant throws from an obviously rattled Prairie View pitcher. A Clift triple tied the game, then Clift secured the win after another passed ball.
Herrmann tied Wilson for the team lead in hits with two each. The pair also tied for the lead in RBIs with one each. There was no winning pitcher assigned on the stat sheet, but Crooks may deserve much of the credit while tying Pratt for the team lead in strikeouts with four each. Crooks pitched through the extra innings while allowing five runs on nine hits and three walks. Pratt pitched three innings — allowing a run on one hit and two walks. Emerson got the start and tallied a pair of strikeouts over two innings while allowing four walks.
The Mustangs improved to 5-3 overall and evened their Pioneer League record to 2-2. They head on the road Friday to Santa Fe Trail for another Pioneer League contest. First pitch is at 4 p.m. for the opener and tentatively scheduled for 6 p.m. for the finale.
