Washington Baseball

Greve tosses 2-hitter as Lions bash Warriors

Any high school pitcher loves run support from his offensive buddies. Linn-Mar provided Nate Greve with a mountain of it Friday night, scoring six runs in the bottom of the first inning and giving Greve a chance to relax.

As it turned out, Greve’s idea of relaxing was to toss a two-hit shutout.

Greve made quick work of the Washington lineup and so did Linn-Mar, squashing the Warriors 13-0 in five innings in a Mississippi Valley Conference game at Linn-Mar.

Washington (3-13, 0-8) didn’t have much of a chance. Greve blanked the Warriors all night and struck out nine batters.

“He was fantastic,” said Linn-Mar Coach Chad Lechner. “His velocity was up tonight, and when he is throwing his fastball that well and locating it, he doesn’t really need to throw a lot of other stuff. He has been very good the past couple of outings.”

Greve started fast, retiring Washington’s first three batters in order in the top of the first. Then Linn-Mar came to the plate.

Greve, who also played the role of leadoff hitter, began the inning with a line-drive single to left field. The Lions wouldn’t stop until six runs had crossed the plate. Michael Redmond, Austin Stroschein and Keaton Blackford all had RBIs for Linn-Mar in the first and it opened a wide gap for Greve and the Lion defense.

“We just stayed focused and waited for our pitch,” said Redmond. “We have been taking good hacks all week and we just stayed with our approach, and everything turned out well.”

Greve worked quickly on the Warrior hitters, keeping them off balance. The first Washington hit came in the third inning when Johnny Dobbs lined a shot barely over shortstop Jack Strellner’s glove.

The only other hit Greve allowed was in the fourth inning when Will Rings hit a dribbler down the third base line, which basically was a swinging bunt.

“I was just mixing up pitches, and working both inside and outside with our catcher,” said Greve. “It was working out pretty well.”

Linn-Mar (9-6, 6-2) put one run on the board in the second when Stroschein collected another RBI single, pushing the Lions up 7-0.

Linn-Mar exploded again in the fourth. Catcher Austin Banks belted a two-run double to left field that highlighted a six-run frame. The Lions batted through their lineup again, and five players collected a hit in the fourth inning as the Lions went ahead 13-0.

Greve returned to the mound in the top of the fifth and retired the Warrior batters in order, enacting the mercy rule.

“I think he (Greve) relaxed a little bit once he saw that early run support,” said Redmond. “And seeing him pitch well really gets us more comfortable at the plate.”

Blackford went 2-for-2 with two doubles, Stroschein was 2-for-3 with three RBIs and Kevin Bogert was 2-for-3 with two runs scored.

“I thought we really kept the approach that we want to see,” said Lechner. “The hitters did a good job of being disciplined at the plate and staying within themselves and just hitting line drives.”

WASHINGTON (0)
Hogg, 2b, 3 0 0 0, G.Dostal, p, 2 0 0 0, N.Dostal. ss, 2 0 0 0, Gillis, 1b, 1 0 0 0, Burdt, rf, 2 0 0 0, Rings, c, 2 0 1 0, Troendle, cf, 2 0 0 0, Thulen, 3b, 1 0 0 0, Thorson, 3b, 1 0 0 0, Dobbs, dh, 2 0 1 0, Hand, rf, 0 0 0 0. Totals  18 0 2 0.

LINN-MAR (13)
Greve, p, 3 1 1 0, Ollinger, dh, 1 0 1 2, Bogert, rf, 3 2 2 0, Wyant, dh, 1 0 0 0, Redmond, cf, 2 2 1 1, Stickney, lf, 2 1 1 0, Stroschein, 3b, 3 2 2 3, Roth, 2b, 1 1 0 0, Kvach, 2b, 1 0 0 0, Stolley, 1b, 3 1 1 0, Banks, c, 3 2 1 2, Blackford, dh, 2 1 2 1, Strellner, ss, 0 0 0 0. Totals  25 13 12 9.

Washington   000 00 -   0  2
Linn-Mar        610 6x - 13 12

G. Dostal, Hand and Rings. Greve and Banks. W - Greve. L - Dostal. 2B - Banks, Blackford 2, Ollinger.  3B - Redmond. SB - Bogert 2, Bettman, Stickney.

Wyant shines as Lions top Warriors

After the first inning Thursday night, the Washington baseball team looked promising. Pitcher Noah Dostal sat Linn-Mar’s first three hitters down in order and then the Warriors came to the plate and scored one run on two hits.

That didn’t sit well with Linn-Mar. It especially didn’t sit well with Lion pitcher Justin Wyant. He used that first inning as fuel and didn’t allow a run the rest of the night, pitching a complete game four-hitter.

Along with some solid offensive and defensive support from his teammates, Wyant propelled Linn-Mar past the Warriors, 7-1, at the Washington baseball field.

Wyant got off to a slow start when the Warriors' first batter of the game, Robert Hogg, lined a single into right field. Hogg scored two batters later when Will Rings hit a soft shot just over the first baseman’s head for an RBI single.

But after Washington took the 1-0 lead, Wyant slammed the door shut. He allowed no more runs and only two Warrior hits for the remainder of the game, and both of those hits were infield singles.

“I was just trying to pump strikes and get on top of hitters,’’ he said. “I wanted to let my defense do the work.”

And his defense was working very well. The Lions committed no errors and had a handful of pretty defensive plays.

Lion shortstop Jack Strellner was a vacuum, chasing down any ball in his vicinity. With Washington down to its final two outs in the seventh inning, Warrior hitter Johnny Dobbs came to the plate with a runner on first. Dobbs hit a laser right to Strellner, who fielded it seamlessly and turned a game ending 6-4-3 double play with Lion second baseman Michael Redmond.

Wyant also had some major support from his bat-wielding friends. After the sluggish first inning, Linn-Mar recovered with ferocity and posted five runs in the second. With the bases loaded full of Lions, left fielder Nate Greve stepped to the plate and proceeded to clear them with a triple into center field.

Lion cleanup hitter Mitch Stickney led off the third inning with a solo home run over the left field fence, putting them up 6-1. The Lions added another run in the seventh.

Wyant applauded both the offensive and defensive effort from his teammates. “Our guys were sitting on those first pitches and just hitting the kinds of pitches that they want,” he said. “We also had pretty solid defense tonight. And we stayed strong even though we got down early.”

Wyant should be applauded right along with them. He pitched all seven innings, mixing a sharp curve with a quick fastball. He struck out eight batters.

Granted, it's a little easier to get through Washington’s lineup now because of the absence of slugger A.J Puk, who is sidelined with a thumb injury, but Wyant’s performance was stellar nonetheless.

Linn-Mar (8-6, 5-2) returns home to host Washington (3-12, 0-7) Friday night.

LINN-MAR (7)
Greve, lf, 4 1 2 3, Bogert, cf, 3 0 1 1, Redmond, 2b, 4 0 0 0, Stickney, rf, 3 2 1 1, Stroschein, 3b, 3 1 1 0, Banks, c, 3 0 0 1, Blackford, dh, 2 1 0 0, Roth, dh, 1 0 0 0, Wyant, p, 0 0 0 0, Stolley, 1b, 2 1 1 0, Strellner, ss, 3 1 0 0. Totals 28 7 6 6.

WASHINGTON (1)
Hogg, ss, 2 0 1 0, Dostal, p, 3 1 0 0, Rings, c, 3 0 1 1, Gillis, 1b, 3 0 0 0, Burdt, rf, 3 0 1 0, Troendle, cf, 3 0 1 0, Rogers, 2b, 3 0 0 0, Thorson, 3b, 2 0 0 0, Dobbs, dh, 3 0 0 0, Hand, lf, 0 0 0 0.  Totals 25 1 4 1.

Linn-Mar          051 000 1 - 7 6 0
Washington     100 000 0 - 1 4 2

Wyant and Banks. Dostal, Troendle (4) and Rings. W - Wyant. L - Dostal. 3B - Greve, Stroschein. HR- Stickney. SB - Stickney, Stroschein (2), Stolley.

Marlins take Christensen in 35th round

Chad Christensen plans to drive to Minnesota this Friday and begin playing for the Mankato MoonDogs in the Northwoods League.

Beyond that, he's not sure if he'll sign a pro contract with the Miami Marlins in the next six weeks or return to Nebraska for his senior year with the Cornhuskers.

Christensen was picked by the Marlins in the 35th round of the Major League draft on Wednesday, lower than he anticipated and hoped. He was the 1,067th player selected in the 40-round draft.

"I wasn't quite expecting that, but I'm thankful for the opportunity to be drafted and I'm excited to be picked by the Marlins," said Christensen, who starred at Cedar Rapids Washington before enrolling at Nebraska three years ago.

"It's what I've worked for, to get that chance. We'll have to see what happens, what they'll offer and what they want to do, but it's very exciting."

Major League Baseball has imposed strict new rules regarding signing bonuses this year. Each team was assigned a specific bonus pool amount, and if they exceed that amount they'll face penalties. The signing bonus for players selected after the 10th round cannot exceed $100,000 without counting against the team's bonus pool.

In short, Christensen is unlikely to be offered a healthy bonus. He has to weigh the opportunity to play pro baseball against the opportunity to return to Nebraska, play another year, get his degree and perhaps be drafted in a higher round next year.

The signing deadline is July 13, about a month earlier than previous years.

"I'm going to go up and start my summer league season," said Christensen. "They (the Marlins) can watch me play, I'm sure, a little bit. I'll have to see what they offer and what they want to do and I'll either take it or go back to school."

Christensen hit .311 at Nebraska this year as a junior with 10 homers and 48 RBIs. He played mostly shortstop for the Cornhuskers, but was drafted as an outfielder.

Christensen followed the draft Wednesday in Cedar Rapids and was relieved to finally see his name. "I saw it pop up on the computer," he said.

The draft was held Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. He was hoping to be drafted Tuesday, but they stopped after the 15th round without calling his name.

Christensen said his younger brother, Austin, is healthy again and playing in a summer college league in California. Austin Christensen, who starred at Kennedy High School, was redshirted at Nebraska this year as a freshman due to an arm injury.

Puk sidelined 6 weeks with thumb injury

Cedar Rapids Washington junior A.J. Puk will miss an extended period of the baseball season with a hairline fracture in his right thumb.

"He's out six weeks," Washington Coach Tony Lombardi told the Metro Sports Report Wednesday.

The injury occurred during a play last week against Jefferson when Puk, who is Washington's first baseman, had contact with a J-Hawk runner on an errant throw.

Puk is hitting .455 for the Warriors (10 for 22) in nine games with three doubles, two triples, one homer and four RBIs. He did not play in Monday night's doubleheader against Xavier due to the injury, but was at the ballpark.

Puk also has battled a tender left elbow this season, limiting him to only two pitching performances for a total of four innings. He struck out seven batters in those four innings, but has a high earned run average of 8.75.

Puk has committed to play college baseball at the University of Florida.