In the first inning, Luke Spaur walked and scored on Trenton Kingery’s double. An error allowed Kingery to score for a 2-0 Knoxville lead. Indianola got one run back in the first, but Knoxville extended its lead to 3-1 in the second and 6-1 in the third.
Indianola battled back to tie 6-6 in the sixth, but couldn’t overtake Knoxville. Brady Blake led off the sixth with a double as Indianola scored three runs to equalize.
Knoxville coach Turner Devore said pitcher Koby Higginbotham’s performance was key. “We got a great outing from Koby, and he’s been kind of on the outside looking in with the pitching staff, and we know we’ll need him to step up next year, and to get this outing by him without using Luke was huge,” Devore said.
Indianola coach Jon Fitzpatrick blamed mistakes and errors for the loss. “We need to do the little things better, like fielding bunts and throwing across the field, but it’s early and we’ll get better,” he said.
Higginbotham got the win, allowing four runs on six hits in 3 2/3 innings. Parker Kennedy took the loss, giving up five runs in just 2/3 of an inning.
Knoxville improved to 7-0. Indianola dropped to 3-4. Knoxville next hosts Cardinal, while Indianola hosts Des Moines East in a doubleheader.
