The Iola Mustangs opened 2026 in grand fashion after outlasting rival Chanute 14-13 in extra innings.
After going hitless in five at-bats, freshman first baseman Broden Emerson stepped up when his team needed him the most with an RBI single to earn Iola’s first win of the season.
“I was just thinking ‘Try to get a base hit. Try to do something with it,’” Emerson said. “I was just waiting for something I could hit. I was full of excitement, as soon as I saw it leave the bat. I think it was just a high fastball. I just hope I can learn from this and get better.”
As storied rivals, the Iola-Chanute battle lived up to its billing as both teams slugged it out throughout Tuesday’s contest. A single by junior third baseman Roy Gordon put Iola on the scoreboard, then junior outfielder Kale Pratt plated starting pitcher Jase Herrmann. Sophomore pinch-hitter Broderick Peters drove in the final run of the inning with a single.
“Defensively, and pitching wise, we have some things to work on,” said Iola coach Lake Johnson, who picked up his first win as head coach of the Mustangs. “Offensively, we scratched a run across almost every one of those nine innings. We feel really good and love what we can do on the base paths.”
Chanute rallied with a five-run second inning, but that was the Comets’ biggest scoring outburst of the contest. Iola responded with junior shortstop Austin Crooks reaching home on an errant pitch in the third inning, then an RBI double by Gordon in the fourth, followed by a Crooks sacrifice fly to plate Gordon — tying the game 7-7.
“I definitely have a lot of things I can work on off the field, but I think I can turn it up a notch and take it into the next game,” said Wilson, who drove in a team-leading three RBIs in his first game back after his all-state selection last season.
The see-saw battle between the Comets and Mustangs continued in the fifth as senior catcher Tre Wilson plated a pair of runners for an RBI single, then Herrmann plated Wilson to put Iola ahead 11-7.
After Pratt scored on another errant pitch, Chanute rallied to take a 13-12 lead. Pratt struck again with a sacrifice fly to force the game into extra innings.
Pratt ended the night tied with Gordon and Wilson for the team lead in hits with three each. Although Herrmann got the start, Crooks picked up the win with a team-leading five strikeouts, followed by Herrmann and Pratt with four each, and then Wilson with two.
“We burned through a lot of pitchers tonight, but we still have arms to throw,” Coach Johnson said. “We’re going to build on what we did offensively tonight. Defensively, we’re still trying to piece together different things in the outfield, but it was a great first win.”
The Mustangs put their unblemished record to the test Friday on the road against Fredonia. They remain on the road Tuesday, when they open the Pioneer League season against Burlington.
