By Sam Parsons
The Oskaloosa Indians baseball team came into the 2026 season eager to build upon the success they had in 2025, when they put up their best W-L record since 2020, and on Monday night, they started on the right foot with a 7-2 victory over the Albia Blue Demons.
The game was moved up to a 5pm start time due to forecasted thunderstorms later in the evening. Another wrinkle was added to the game before it started: Oskaloosa’s senior ace pitcher Linus Morrison was a late scratch from the starting lineup and was replaced on the mound by junior Tyler Edgar.
Edgar, despite not being the projected starting pitcher for the game, was ready to answer the bell. He pitched 5-plus innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on 3 base hits and 2 walks while recording 7 strikeouts. He was relieved for the final two innings by senior Jake North, a 4-year varsity shortstop who had never pitched in a varsity game before.
“It was definitely nerve-wracking, the first time out there,” said North, who entered the game in the top of the 6th inning with two runners on base and no outs. “A little stressful situation with [two] runners on…but it felt really good. I’m planning on throwing more games this year. Coaches said that they love me to throw because we’re a little short on arms this year, losing Jaden [DeRonde], and a few other guys like Lukas [Toubekis] and Caden Johnson.”
North looked like a veteran on the mound, pitching 2 innings without surrendering a hit. He issued 1 walk and struck out 3 Albia hitters. At the plate, he went 1/2 with a double, a walk, 3 stolen bases, and 2 runs scored.
Baserunning played a huge role in the win for the Indians: as a team, they stole a whopping 11 bases on 12 attempts, testing Albia’s catchers over and over again with great success. That helped the Indians score their 7 runs despite only reaching base 11 times as a team.
Oskaloosa took the lead in the second inning when junior Carter Bonnett ripped a leadoff triple and later scored on a wild pitch, and they never relinquished the lead from there, rolling to a 7-2 victory to start the season 1-0.
The Indians will travel to Fairfield tonight and then to Ottumwa on Friday to finish up their first week of action. Friday night’s game will be broadcast on KBOE 104.9 FM and kboeradio.com starting at around 6:45pm.
