PITTSBURG — The Iola Mustangs, a traveling squad of players 8 and younger, split a doubleheader Sunday evening against the Pittsburg Raildogs.
The Mustangs broke open a tie game going into the sixth and final inning of the opener with a five-run outburst to win 12-10.
Brennan Nuessen, Payton Houk and Korbin Cloud had three singles each. Zander Dickerson, Karson Sigg and Jack White each had two singles. Carter Hutton drilled a single and a double. Korbyn Fountain, Braden Jones and Kaster Trabuc each had a single.
Pittsburg rallied to win the second game, 7-4.
Hutton had two singles and a double for the Mustangs. White drilled two doubles, while Houk had two singles. Delivering one single apiece were Nuessen, Jones, Cloud, Avery Blaufuss, Dickerson and Sigg.
The Mustangs are not a typical 8-and-under team, head coach Jeff White explained, because they feature a mixture of players as young as six.
The team’s mission is two-fold: to get more experience for the younger players; and to improve the overall quality of competition for the Iolans.
The Mustangs operate without sponsorship. The players and coach fit the bill for uniforms and travel expenses.
“We just want to focus on getting better week by week, and we’ve more than exceeded my expectations,” White said.
Iola will host Erie in a doubleheader at 6 and 7:30 p.m. Friday on Field No. 4 at Iola’s Riverside Park.
Iola squad splits
