Tigers come from behind to eliminate Mount Ayr

LENOX — The Lenox Tigers scored six of their nine runs in one inning and were able to make enough good plays from start to finish in a come-from-behind performance against an equally as impressive Mount Ayr team Saturday night.

The 9-7 victory by the Tigers gave them a Class 1A, District 14 championship and a spot in Tuesday’s substate final against No. 10-ranked Martensdale-St. Marys at Clarke High School in Osceola.

“First of all, kudos to [Mount Ayr], they’ve had a heck of a year and they’re a really tough, young team,” Lenox head coach Trevor Luther said. “We played really gritty baseball tonight. One through nine, we were having some really good at-bats, putting pressure on their guys that allowed us to have a couple of big innings there. They made it interesting at the end but we were able to shut the door.”

The Raiders scored first, sending seven to the plate in the top of the second, scoring three runs. Tyler Still, Hayes Stogdill and Trevin Victor all had RBIs in the frame that put Mount Ayr up 3-0.

Mount Ayr starting pitcher Trevin Victor and his defense responded, facing just four batters in the bottom of the inning, but Lenox starter Laramie Stoaks returned the favor, retiring the Raiders in order in the top of the third.

In the bottom of the third, the Tigers sent 10 to the plate, scoring six runs for a 6-3 lead.

Gabe Funk had an RBI single to drive in Caleb Menefee for the first run, then the Tigers loaded the bases more than once using a patient but aggressive approach at the plate and on the base paths.

“It’s just one at a time and don’t alter who we are and what we’ve been all year,” Luther said. “We knew we could score runs with anybody really. It takes one really. I think that relieves the pressure for everybody.”

Lenox added two more runs in the fourth to go up 8-3, backing up a stellar inning on defense where freshman right fielder Jack Reed made two big catches for the Tigers.

“Jack’s really come into his own in the outfield and he’s someone we trust at a high level, obviously,” Luther said. “He’s gotten so much better day to day. That’s what we want to see out of those young guys, and our seniors have done a great job of bringing them along. Those momentum plays are awesome.”

The Raiders mounted a comeback beginning with two outs in the top of the fifth when Drew Graham drilled a two-run home run over the left field fence.

The Tigers went up 9-5 in the sixth when Wylie Brokaw had a one-out double that eventually allowed him to score on an RBI single from Brogan Peterson.

“That’s just one more cushion,” Luther said of Peterson’s hit. “We know Mount Ayr can score with the best of them as well. All those runs matter.”

Mount Ayr took advantage of Lenox errors in the seventh but could only cut the deficit to two runs.

The pitching matchup included two lefties facing each other to start in Laramie Stoaks for Lenox and Trevyn Victor for Mount Ayr. The Raiders went to Walter in the third and the Tigers switched to Dawson Evans with one out in the top of the fifth.

Funk paced Lenox hitting, going 3-for-4 with a run scored, a double, two RBIs and a stolen base. Peterson was 2-for-3 with three RBIs and Brody Brokaw was 1-for-4, had a double and an RBI.

Still went 2-for-3 for the Raiders with a run scored and two RBIs. Graham also had two RBIs from his home run.

Together, Stoaks and Evans had 11 strikeouts on the night. Victor had three strikeouts in two innings pitched for Mount Ayr while Walter had two in four innings. They each gave up four earned runs.

Lenox improved to 20-9 on the season while Mount Ayr ends 17-5.

Defeating Mount Ayr after two unsuccessful tries this season gave the Tigers a good feeling, but they know reaching the state tournament would be a great ending on a quality season. To do so they’ll have to face another familiar Pride of Iowa Conference foe in MStM. The Blue Devils won both sides of a doubleheader with Lenox June 19, 8-7 and 11-5.

“It’s nice to see a familiar face,” Luther said of the Blue Devils. “At the same time, it’s challenging because we know each other so well. We can take a couple of hits away from each other and what not. I’m going to go back to say ‘battle-tested,’ and that’s what the POI allows us to do. We’re very fortunate playing in a competitive conference.”

REGIONAL SOFTBALL

Riverside 6, Mount Ayr 0

Stanton 11, Lenox 2

Exira/EHK-Audubon 1, Earlham 0

Wayne 2, Sigourney 1

Newman Catholic 3, Martensdale-St. Marys 2

Van Meter 3, Interstate 35 0

Centerville 2, Atlantic 1

Dallas Center-Grimes 8, Glenwood 0

Creston 3, Lewis Central 2

SUBSTATE BASEBALL

Harlan 7, Atlantic 1

Clarke 6, Creston 1

Glenwood 5, Denison-Schleswig 2

Lewis Central 3, Dallas Center-Grimes 1

DISTRICT BASEBALL

Martensdale-St. Marys 7, Earlham 2

Lenox 9, Mount Ayr 7