After Friday’s 10-0 loss to Parsons to open the Iola American Legion Tournament, Post 15 coach Rick Vink had seen enough.
“He gave us a pretty good pep talk about being focused and having a lot of energy,” Iola shortstop Daylon Splane said.
The message sank in. Splane went 6-for-9 on Saturday, leading the team to three wins on the tournament’s final day.
“On Friday night, we came out flat,” Vink said. “I told the boys that they have to be ready to play baseball and when you get behind, you can’t quit. I don’t like to get on the kids, but they responded.”
Splane pitched in the second game of the day against the Thunderbolts, a team from Missouri, and threw four innings where he did not allow an earned run. Post 15 won the game 14-3.
The Indians started the day with a 13-8 win over Marion. Splane reached base five times in the game by going 4-for-4 with a walk and drove in three runs.
In the nightcap, Ethan Tavarez was on-point for Iola as they knocked off the Olathe Raptors.
Tavarez threw four shutout innings and held the Raptor lineup to just three hits.
Kane Rogers came in for the final three outs and was able to secure the five inning 8-0 victory by getting out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam by inducing an inning-ending double-play ball.
“Tavarez pitched a great four innings and Kane came in in the fifth and took care of them,” Vink said. “Defense was amazing with two double-plays. It was a great team effort.”
The shutout inning capped a very strong weekend for the Indian right fielder. Rogers went 4-for-6 on Saturday and provided consistent offense for his team from the lower-third of the batting order.
With the team’s only two All-Pioneer League preformers Derek Bycroft and Isaac Vink off to slow starts with the bat, that just make Splane and Rogers contributions early in the summer that much more vital according to Coach Vink.
“Isaac and Derek were both all-league players in high school and they have struggled to begin legion play,” Vink said. “With Daylon, we knew he could pitch for us, we knew he was going to be solid at shortstop, but his bat has been on fire. He is doing a tremendous job for us.”
