Appropriately named “The Boys”, the Iola 10U team routed the competition en route to their tournament championship, including a 23-8 win in the championship game over the weekend.
The Boys opened the tournament with a 6-4 victory over the Chanute Comets. Havick Westerman picked up the win with a trio of strikeouts over three innings.
Knox Hufferd came on in relief for four strikeouts over two innings as both pitchers allowed just one earned run.
The Boys found themselves in a 3-0 deficit after the second inning but responded by going on a 6-1 run beginning in the third inning on a bases-loaded walk and RBI singles from Hufferd and first baseman Brady Thomas.
The Boys added three more to the scoreboard in the fifth inning on a base-clearing Hufferd RBI double.
The championship game was not as contentious as the semifinal. Iola romped the Burlington Wolfpack 23-8. Five runs in the first inning, six runs in the second and 12 runs in the third had The Boys walking away with the tournament trophy earlier than expected.
Hufferd picked up the win with four strikeouts over three innings. He was two RBIs shy of the team lead with outfielder Owen Hesse driving in four runs, followed by Westerman and shortstop Tommy Smith, who had three each.
