Iola brings Tigers' season to close

GARNETT -- Fort Scott High School's baseball team defeated Ottawa in the semifinals of the Anderson County Class 4A Regional Tournament here Thursday. But undefeated Iola put a rough ending to the season by rolling in the championship game, 17-6.

The Mustangs (18-0) will be the top seed and the only unbeaten team in the Class 4A State Tournament at Salina next weekend. Frontenac was the only other unbeaten 4A team going into Regionals but lost to Coffeyville in the finals of the Labette County Regional on Wednesday.

Fort Scott's season ended with a record of 15-5. The 8-5 win over Ottawa in the semifinal was their 11th in a row. Two of those wins came over State qualifier Coffeyville (12-7).

Semifinal: Fort Scott 8, Ottawa 5.

Leadoff batter Jacob Durossette went 4 for 4 and drove in 2 runs for the Tigers, who had 13 hits.

Jacob Payne (5-0) allowed 4 earned runs on 5 hits and 4 walks while striking out 2. Mason Knopp, who struck out 12 batters in the Tigers' first-round victory over Louisburg on Monday, picked up a save, allowing 2 hits in the final 1 2/3 innings.

Fort Scott's first three batters of the game reached base and two of them scored on Knopp's sigle to center.

The Tigers added 4 in the second to make it 6-0. Again, the first three batters reached base, loading the bases for Durossette. He drove in 2 runs with a single. Chase Brown followed with a double to bring in Jacob Bradbury. Durossette scored when Kaleb DeLaTorre reached on an error.

Jacob Payne led off the third with a single and made it 7-0 when he scored on an error.

Ottawa (14-4) scored all its run over the course of the fourth through sixth inings, putting up 3 in the sixth. DeLaTorre led off the Tigers' top of the seventh with a single to center, stole second with 2 out, moved to third on an error and scored when Benjamin Labbe reached on another miscue.

Ottawa's first two batters in the bottom of the seventh reached base off Knopp. But Greyson LaPlant flew out to left field, Kaden Shaffer was thrown out on a fielder's choice, and Issac Carter grounded out to Durossette at shortstop to end the game.

Shaffer and LaPlant each had 2 hits for the Cyclones. Each of them had a triple.

DeLaTorre and Alex Fink were both 2 for 3 for the Tigers.

Championship: Iola 17, Fort Scott 5.

Fort Scott scored first and held a 3-2 lead after 2 1/2 innings. But Iola (18-0) scored 10 runs in the bottom of the third to take control of things.

Durossette and Brown led off the game with back-to-back doubles although Durossette had to hold up at third on Brown's hit. He scored on DeLaTorre's groundout and Brown came in on Knopp's ground out.

Zach Denton and Payne both got on base and were on first and third. But Iola pitcher Mason Coons snagged a line drive to end the inning.

Iola got within 2-1 when Levi Ashmore scored in the bottom of the first on Coons' sacrifice fly. The Mustangs tied the score in the second when Tyler Clubine, who doubled leading off the frame, scored on a Drew Faulhaber single.

Brown led off the top of the third for Fort Scott with a line-drive single to left. He scored on Payne's 2-out single to center to put Fort Scott ahead.

The first 12 batters reached base for Iola in the bottom of the third -- nine on singles, two on walks and one was hit by a pitch. Ashmore, Trent Latta and Coons each had 2 hits in the inning. The 10-run inning put the Mustangs ahead for good, 12-3. They added their last 5 runs in the bottom of the fourth.

Fort Scott needed 5 in the top of the fifth to keep their season going and got 3 of them. Denton singled to right with one out and Payne followed with a single to left. Labbe was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Fink walked to force in Denton and Bradbury drew a base on balls to bring Payne home.

Iola changed pitchers at that point going from Coons to Ashmore. Labbe scored on a grounder back to Ashmore, who then got Brown to ground to third to end the game.

Ashmore was 4 for 4 for Iola, driving in 3 runs. Latta, Faulhaber and Jacob Rhoads were each 3 for 3 and Derrick Weir was 3 for 4.

Brown went 3 for 4 for the Tigers while Denton was 2 for 2 and Denton was 2 for 3.

Iola will face Coffeyville in the first round of the Class 4A State Tournament Thursday at Dean Evans Stadium in Salina.

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SEMIFINAL

x -- Did not bat; DH was batting for him.

Fort Scott...... 241 000 1 -- 8 13 3

Ottawa.......... 000 113 0 -- 5 7 5

E -- Payne, Durossette, Pickert, Graf 4, Carter. DP -- Fort Scott 1, Ottawa 2.

LOB -- Fort Scott 5, Ottawa 7. 2B -- Brown, Markley. 3B -- Shaffer, LaPlant. SB -- DeLaTorre. CS -- Fink 2, Labbe.

HBP -- Brown (by Roth).

CHAMPIONSHIP

x -- Did not bat; DP was batting for him.

Fort Scott...... 201 03x x -- 6 9 1

Iola.......... 11(10) 5xx x -- 17 21 2

E -- Durossette, Ashmore, Heffern. DP -- Fort Scott 1, Iola 1.

LOB -- Fort Scott 8, Iola 2. 2B -- Brown, Weir 2, Clubine. 3B -- Clubine. SB -- Faulhaber, Heffern. CS -- Weir.