BURLINGTON — The Iola Mustangs picked up their first Pioneer League win of the season after mercy-ruling the Burlington Lady Cats 12-2 in the opener of Tuesday’s doubleheader.
Iola’s bats were alive all night as the Mustangs posted more than 20 runs on the scoreboard of both contests, only for Burlington to rally in the finale for an 11-8 victory to split the series.
“Anytime you can go to Burlington and get a split, you’re pretty happy,” Iola coach Chris Weide said. “But when you win the first one, you definitely want to win the second.”
Freshman pitcher Haidyn Desmarteau had a no-hitter going into the sixth inning of the opener. She ended the night with nine strikeouts over six innings while allowing two runs off a sacrifice fly and a single. She was also successful in the batter’s box hitting in 2 of 3 at-bats.
As Desmarteau shined on the mound, sophomore catcher Addie Wacker proved she was capable behind the plate and in the batter’s box. Wacker gave Iola the lead in the opening frame with a two-RBI single. It was the first of her team-leading three RBIs while successful in 2 of 3 at-bats.
In the second inning, the Mustangs added another three runs on a Burlington error in the outfield, then a two-RBI double from freshman first baseman Breighlynn Rutherford.
An RBI single by Wacker in the fifth inning, then RBIs in the sixth inning by junior outfielder Shaylee Karns, Desmarteau and junior outfielder Brooklyn Holloway secured the mercy-rule victory.
“We pitched well in the second game, and we hit well enough, but we just did not play good defense,” Coach Weide said. “It was a lack of focus. We’re not going to use the excuse of being young. When you’re on JV, that’s OK, but when you’re on varsity you have to be ready to play.”
An early lead in the finale seemed to indicate a sweep for the Mustangs, but Burlington had other plans with a four-run third inning and a five-run fifth inning to capture the lead and subsequent win.
After scoring their first run on a Burlington error in the opening frame, freshman second baseman Jayna Ivy plated the Mustangs first RBI with a single.
The Wildcats continued letting the Mustangs inch away with costly mistake after costly mistake until finding their footing in the third inning.
Iola continued scoring on passed balls until Desmarteau registered an RBI on a line-drive single to put the Mustangs up 6-5, however, Burlington’s fifth-inning explosion left Iola playing from behind through their final at-bat. A two-RBI single by Wacker in the sixth inning cut into Burlington’s lead but that was as close to a sweep as Iola would get.
Freshman pitcher Kinlzey Fountain took the loss in a complete-game effort. She posted a pair of strikeouts while allowing 11 runs on 10 hits and a pair of walks. Wacker and Desmarteau tied for the team lead in RBIs with two. Desmarteau was Iola’s leading hitter with success in 3 of 4 at-bats.
“I’m disappointed that we lost, but overall we did a good job tonight,” Weide said.
“There is some stuff we figured out we have to learn during practice, and luckily we have a few days to get ready. Baldwin will be the best group we face all year, so we’ll have to be dialed in for that.”
The Mustangs will step out of the Pioneer League Friday for a road game against Baldwin.
