Postseason Baseball
State championship Friday is in the books and four new champions have been crowned. Here’s how the games played out.
The day started in Sioux City with the Class 3A and Class 4A championship contests and a couple of schools looking for their program’s first title. In Class 3A, #2 Pella had Teagan Hoekstra pitch a complete game gem, notching seven strikeouts in a 3-1 victory over #1 Wahlert Catholic. Landyn Bethards claimed two RBIs to earn the Dutch’s first state title in program history.
For Class 4A, it was another pitching gem that claimed another school’s first state title as #3 Iowa City High’s Jaxton Schroeder tossed eight strikeouts over the seven innings in the 4-1 win over #8 Betterndorf. Drew Nye helped the cause with two RBIs.
We now move over to Merchants Park in Carroll for the Class 1A and Class 2A championship showdowns and again the team to score first was the one to win as #3 Saint Ansgar took down #4 Martensdale-St. Marys 4-1 for the Class 1A championship, their program’s first. Jayce Schwiesow went the entire seven innings, allowing only two hits and fanning four.
In the Class 2A championship game, #2 Pleasantville buried #4 Unity Christian early, scoring five runs in the first inning before clobbering the Knights 9-1. JJ Phillips was halfway to the cycle with a double and a home run, tabbing three RBIs in the win.
High School All-District Teams
The Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association released the All-District teams and seven of our local teams had players earn a spot on the First Team for the Southeast District.
In Class 1A, Burlington Notre Dame had three Nikes earn a spot on the First Team with Payne Prottsman, who threw a 1.29 ERA for the season, Landry Haberichter, and Eli Oleson, who combined for 65 RBIs.
New London’s Memphis Watson was the lone Tiger to earn a spot on the First Team as an outfielder. He produced a slash line of 0.500/0.590/0.671 for 20 RBIs, six doubles, and four triples. He also broke the school record for stolen bases in a season with 42.
Izaak Loeffler of Van Buren County was named First Team utility as he knocked in a team-leading 16 RBIs and seven doubles for a 0.452 batting average.
Over in Class 2A, Mediapolis had two selections: First Team pitcher Lance Ludens and First Team outfielder Kyler Crow. Ludens collected 11 of the team’s 27 victories and sported a 1.09 ERA with an 0.72 WHIP. He was nearly unhittable during a six-game stretch that saw him toss 45 strikeouts in 39.2 innings for a 0.35 ERA, including a no-hitter against Durant in the postseason.
Crow slugged a 0.663 with two home runs, four triples, and seven doubles as he tabbed 30 RBIs in his junior campaign.
West Burlington’s Brock Thuleen produced another season batting above 0.400 as he knocked in 16 runs off six doubles, which led the team, and two home runs.
For Class 3A, Fairfield, the Southeast Conference champions, led the way with three First Team nominations. Dain Burkhart was named First Team pitcher as the SEC Player of the Year claimed an 8-2 record on the mound with a 2.18 ERA.
Luke Konczal earned First Team 1st baseman as he led the team in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and doubles. Aiden Westercamp grabbed First Team outfielder as he led the team with 40 RBIs and had an 0.955 fielding percentage.
Payton Walker was the lone First Team selection for Mt. Pleasant as a catcher. Walker caught five would-be base runners, bringing his total to 13 caught stealing over the last two years. He totaled 26 RBIs for the season and 20 hit-by-pitches, leaving him two short of tying the school record.
For a full list of the All-District Teams, then follow the link: All-Southeast District Teams
Postseason Softball
#2 Williamsburg’s 3-2 win over #1 Wahlert Catholic yesterday claimed the Raiders’ third straight state title for Class 3A. Jersey Metz struck out three in the complete game victory. Washington’s Ella Greiner earned a spot on the All-Tournament team.
#3 Albia breezed past #4 PCM 9-1 for the bronze.
8th inning fireworks gave #1 Van Meter the thrilling 8-7 victory over #3 West Lyon for the Class 2A championship. Ava Hohenadel sent the Bulldog fans home happy with the walk-off solo shot, her lone hit of the game.
#2 Louisa-Muscatine took home 3rd place with a 5-3 win over #5 West Fork.
For the Class 1A championship, #2 Clarksville took home their second title in the last five years after defeating #1 Wayne 4-1. Sydney Lovrien struck out nine from the circle and nabbed two RBIs.
#6 St. Edmond upset #4 Riverside 5-4 in the third-place bout.
High School Softball All-District Teams
The Iowa Girls Coaches Association released the All-District Teams for Southeast Iowa and 11 local players cracked a spot on the list.
In Class 1A, Holy Trinity Catholic’s Sydney Jarvis and Quinn Zweibohmer of Wapello each found a spot on the team as they each grabbed over 155 strikeouts and sub-2.35 ERAs.
For Class 2A, Lilly Coil of Columbus’s 0.537 batting average and Van Buren County’s Ashlynn Huff’s 22 RBIs earned spots on the All-District team.
Class 3A was crowded with Central Lee’s Kenna Sandoval, Leah Helmick of Fairfield, Payton Harris of Mediapolis, West Burlington/Notre Dame’s Lyndsey Kelley, and Washington’s Leighton Salazar and Ella Greiner making the team.
Lastly, Keirah Wiseman of Burlington snatched a spot on the Class 4A All-District squad.
For a full look at the teams, follow the link provided: Iowa Softball All-District Teams
Prospect League
The Burlington Bees defeated the Clinton LumberKings last night 11-5 thanks to a late surge of offense. Owen Nowak led the team with three RBIs, while Kooper Schulte found his 42nd RBI of the season. The LumberKings will host the rematch tonight at 6:30 pm.
This Day in Sports History
1933 – Joe DiMaggio ends his 61 game hitting streak in the minor league Pacific Coast League.
1948 – “Babe Ruth Story” premieres, it would be Babe Ruth’s last public appearance.
1992 – Nolan Ryan strikes out his 100th batter for the 23rd consecutive season.
