High School Postseason Baseball
Class 1A and Class 3A competed in their first round matchups yesterday and the results were generally close but predictable.
The day did not start out predictable in Carroll as #8 Bedford and #1 Akron-Westfield were still tied at two after 8 innings. Finally, the Westerners walked it off on a Carter Wilken squeeze bunt, advancing with a score of 3-2.
#1 Akron-Westfield will face off against #4 Lynnville-Sully in the semifinals tomorrow, July 24th, at 7 pm after the Hawks brushed past Sigourney 2-0.
Newman Catholic extended their win streak to five over South Winneshiek with a 3-1 victory yesterday. Lastly, Remsen St. Mary’s offense was too much for North Linn to handle as the Hawks defeated the Lynx 10-6.
Newman Catholic will take on Remsen St. Mary’s tomorrow at 4:30 pm.
The Class 2A state tournament will start play today with Underwood and Unity Christian throwing the first pitch at 11 am.
For Class 3A, Bishop Heelan handled Pella to the tune of a 3-1 victory. The Crusaders will find out who their opponent will be today as Wahlert Catholic versus Central DeWitt had to be moved due to time; the two will play at 9 am this morning.
In the bottom half of the bracket, Marion’s bats caught fire with a 12-2 thumping of Center Point-Urbana and North Polk snuck past Harlan Community to win 5-4. The Comets and Wolves will compete tomorrow at 7:30 pm.
#1 Cedar Rapids Kennedy will face off against #8 Pleasant Valley today at 11:30 am to begin play for Class 4A.
High School Postseason Softball
The state tournament commenced yesterday in Fort Dodge with Classes 5A and 4A completing their first round of matchups and Class 3A getting through half of their bracket. Here’s how the first round of action went down.
In Class 5A, #1 Valley dominated #8 Prairie, pulling away late to end the game early in favor of the Tigers, 11-1.
#4 Waukee Northwest and #5 Ankeny engaged in a pitching duel that went the way of the Hawks and Abby Rusher as she pitched a complete game shutout, allowing only two hits and striking out four to earn a 2-0 win for Ankeny.
#1 Valley will face off against #5 Ankeny tomorrow, July 24th, at 10 am. #8 Prairie and #4 Waukee Northwest will compete today in the consolation bracket at 10 am.
#2 Pleasant Valley was against the ropes in their matchup against #7 Waukee, needing to score five runs between the 6th and 7th innings to force extras, then scoring another three runs in the bottom of the 8th to win 8-7 over the Warriors.
#6 Urbandale held off a last ditch comeback effort from #3 Muscatine to pull off the upset, winning 10-9. Sarah Webster led the way with three RBIs.
#2 Pleasant Valley will take on #6 Urbandale tomorrow at 12:15 pm. #7 Waukee will square off against #3 Muscatine today at 10:30 am.
#7 Carlisle kicked off play in the Class 4A bracket with an 8-6 upset over #2 Dallas Center-Grimes. Kaliyah Freeman led the way with a double and three RBIs for the Wildcats.
#6 North Scott followed suit with a 2-0 upset of #3 Norwalk. The Lady Lancers will play Carlisle tomorrow at 10:30 am. Dallas Center-Grimes will compete today at 12:15 pm against Norwalk.
In the bottom half of the bracket, #1 North Polk dispatched #8 Western Dubuque 7-2 and #4 ADM shut down #5 Fort Dodge 2-0. The Comets and Tigers will play in the semifinal at 12:45 pm tomorrow. Western Dubuque and Fort Dodge will compete today at 12:45.
Lastly, #2 Williamsburg downed #7 PCM 8-2 and #3 Wahlert Catholic escaped with a 9-8 victory over #6 Sumner-Fredericksburg to advance to the semifinals tomorrow at 2:30 pm. PCM will take on Sumner-Fredericksburg today at 2:30 pm in the consolation bracket.
Class 3A will complete their first round matchups today as Classes 2A and 1A begin their postseason journeys.
Prospect League
The Burlington Bees scored first but the Clinton LumberKings outscored them the rest of the way, downing the Bees 4-2. Blake Gaskey picked up the win on the mound with 6 innings of work, allowing two runs on six hits and striking out five. Michael Carrano Jr. had the two-run blast for the Bees in the 2nd inning.
The Bees will travel to take on the Alton River Dragons tonight at 6:35 pm.
The Clinton LumberKings will face off against the River Dragons tomorrow, July 24th, at 6:35 pm on the road.
This Day in Sports History
1866 – Cincinnati Baseball club, also known as the Cincinnati Red Stockings, forms.
1931 – France announces it can’t afford to send a team to the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics due to the Great Depression. They eventually manage to send a team.
2009 – Mark Buehrle of the Chicago White Sox becomes the 18th pitcher to throw a perfect game in MLB history, defeating Tampa Bay Rays 5-0.