Washington Baseball

Warriors edged by No. 2 Valley, 4-3

The Washington Warriors pushed No. 2 West Des Moines Valley into extra innings Saturday before falling short.

Valley trimmed the Warriors, 4-3, in eight innings in a non-conference baseball game at the Washington field.

Chris Harrington pitched 7 2/3 innings for the Warriors (1-3). He allowed eight hits and struck out five batters.

Washington could not get the key hit it needed and stranded 10 runners on base.

WDM VALLEY (4)
Lodden, ss, 4 3 3 0, Hinkle, cf, 4 0 1 0, Pullen, c, 4 0 0 0, Stephens, p, 4 0 1 0, Pauley, 3b, 4 0 0 0, Baumann, lf, 4 1 2 0, Marshall, 1b, 2 0 1 0, Plath, ph, 1 0 0 0, Thiel, rf, 3 0 0 0, Meyer, 2b, 3 0 0 0. Totals 33 4 8 0.

WASHINGTON (3)
N.Dostal, ss, 5 0 0 0, Hogg, cf, 4 2 1 0, Puk, 1b, 2 1 1 0, Gillis, 3b, 2 0 1 0, Dobbs, ph, 0 0 0 0, Troendle, rf, 4 0 1 0, Christensen, 2b, 2 0 0 0, Rogers, dh, 1 0 0 0, Hand, lf, 2 0 1 0, Rings, c, 3 0 0 0, Thorson, ph, 1 0 0 0, Harrington, p, 4 0 1 0. Totals 26 3 6 0.

Valley          110 010 01 - 4 8 1
Washington 000 021 00 - 3 6 0

Harrington, Troendle (8) and Rings. 2B - Marshall, Baumann (2), Lodden, Stephens, Hand. SB - Hogg (2).

Indians clip Warriors for 5th in Metro

Levi Lochner tossed a complete game as the Marion Indians defeated Washington, 7-3, for fifth place Wednesday in the Bob Vrbicek Metro Baseball Tournament at Marion.

Lochner scattered eight hits and struck out six batters.

Trev Biery hit a two-run triple for Marion (2-1) in the sixth inning. Christian Stekl had two hits and Mitch Wagner scored three runs.

A.J. Puk had three hits for Washington (1-2), including an RBI double. Noah Dostal had two hits.

MARION (7)
Wagner, 2b, 3 0 0 0, Stekl, ss, 3 1 2 1, Biery, 1b, 4 0 1 3, Johnson, c, 3 0 0 0, Davila, lf, 4 0 0 1, C.Cannoy, cf, 3 0 1 0, Charipar, dh, 2 0 0 0, Connolly, rf, 0 0 0 0, Lochner, p, 3 0 0 0, Fuller, cr, 0 1 0 0, Kuhn, 3b, 2 2 1 1. Totals 27 7 5 5.

WASHINGTON (3)
N.Dostal, p/ss 3 0 2 0, Burdt, rf, 2 1 1 1, Puk, 1b, 3 1 3 1, G.Dostal, 3 0 1 0, Troendle, cf/p, 3 0 0 0, Gillis, 3b, 3 0 1 0, Christensen, 2b, 2 0 0 0, Chance p, 0 0 0 0, Dobbs ph,1 0 0 0, Rings, c, 2 0 0 0, Hogg, ss/2b, 2 1 0 0. 24 3 8 2.

Marion              200 302 0 -- 7  5  2
Washington       102 000 0 -- 3  8  4

W - Lochner. L - N. Dostal. 2B - Puk. 3B - Biery. SB - Wagner (2), Stekl (2), Cannoy, Kuhn, Hogg.

Puk's elbow passes tuneup against Jeff

A.J. Puk said his tender left elbow felt fine after pitching two innings in the Bob Vrbicek Metro Tournament Tuesday night.

Now Puk is looking forward to helping Cedar Rapids Washington win more games and he's also looking forward to a pair of special baseball trips this summer.

Puk was the starting pitcher Tuesday night as the Warriors held off Jefferson, 10-9, in a consolation game of the Metro Tournament at Linn-Mar.

Puk threw nothing but fastballs during his two-inning stint and switched to first base in the third inning with a 3-1 lead.

Puk, a 6-foot-4 junior who has committed to the University of Florida, struck out four batters, walked two and allowed one hit and one earned run.

"I strained my elbow during the spring league at Perfect Game and I'm just taking it slow to get back into it," he said. "It was just a strain. It feels really good right now. I should be all right."

Puk has reached the low 90's on the radar gun, but threw mostly in the mid-80's Tuesday as he recovers from his minor injury. He did not throw any curveballs and did not want to throw more than 50 pitches in the ballgame.

"I got to 48 so I shut it down," he said.

Puk plans to spend most of the season with the Warriors, but will be gone for about a two-week period in June for two special events. He'll play in the Perfect Game National Showcase at the Metrodome in Minneapolis June 14-18 and also will play in the prestigious Tournament of Stars in Cary, N.C., from June 20-24.

Puk plans to play in a few tournaments this summer for the Canes, an elite travel team that's based in Virginia, but he said those events will be held after the high school season.

Puk slugged an RBI triple Tuesday night and reached base four straight times with two walks and a hit-by-pitch.

Washington built a 10-2 lead after 4 1/2 innings, but Coach Tony Lombardi put eighth grader Johnny Dobbs on the mound in the bottom of the fifth and Jefferson scored seven runs (six against Dobbs) to pull within 10-9.

Noah Dostal pitched two shutout innings for the Warriors in the sixth and seventh innings to protect the 10-9 lead and get the save.

"The kids didn't panic. It was good," said Lombardi, who collected his first win as Washington's new baseball coach.

Dylan Jellison went 3-for-4 for the J-Hawks with a double, home run, two runs scored, two stolen bases and three RBIs. He also pitched two shutout innings.

Washington will play Marion in the consolation game for fifth place Wednesday at approximately 7 p.m. at Marion. Jefferson will face Mount Vernon in the consolation game for seventh place at 5 p.m. at Marion.

WASHINGTON (10)
N.Dostal, ss/p, 4 2 2 0, Troendle, cf, 4 1 0 1, Puk, p/1b, 1 3 1 1, G.Dostal, lf, 1 2 1 1, Gilles, 1b/3b, 2 0 0 2, Dobbs, cr/p, 0 0 0 0, Rogers, 3b/2b, 1 0 0 0, Burdt, rf, 3 1 1 1, Thorson, dh, 4 0 0 0, Christensen, 3b, 0 0 0 0, Hand, p, 0 0 0 0, Rings, c, 3 0 0 0, Harrington, cr, 0 0 0 0, Hogg, 2b/p/ss, 2 1 1 0. Totals 25 10 6 6.

JEFFERSON (9)
Jellison, 2b/p, 4 2 3 3, Koering, ss/2b, 1 2 0 0, Knox, cf, 5 0 0 1, Dee, 1b, 4 1 3 2, Techau, 3b, 3 1 1 0, Gruwell, lf, 2 1 0 0, Goodell, rf, 4 1 1 2, Kramer, p/ssm 2 0 1 0, Wright, cr, 0 0 0 0, Sullivan, p, 2 1 1 1, Jourdan, c, 2 0 0 0, Kloubec, cr, 0 0 0 0, Colbert, ph, 0 0 0 0. Totals 29 9 10 9.

Washington   303 310 0 - 10  6 1
Jefferson       101 070 0 -  9 10 3

Puk, Hand (3), Dobbs (5), Hogg (5), N.Dostal (6) and Rings. Kramer, Sullivan (4), Jellison (6) and Jourdan. W - Hand. L - Kramer. S - Dostal. 2B - Burdt, Jellison. 3B - Puk. HR - Jellison. SB - N.Dostal, G.Dostal, Hogg, Jellison 2, Koering, Sullivan.

No. 1 Cougars, Lions headed for early showdown

The Kennedy Cougars are ranked No. 1 and the Linn-Mar Lions look like they have the ingredients to make a run for the top as well this year.

They'll clash Tuesday in the semifinals of the Bob Vrbicek Metro Baseball Tournament at the Linn-Mar diamond at approximately 7 p.m.

Alex Hayden struck out 14 batters as the top-ranked Cougars blanked Washington, 4-0, in the opening game of the tournament Monday night to spoil Tony Lombardi's debut as the new head coach of the Warriors.

Linn-Mar scored 11 runs in the first inning against Jefferson and pounded the J-Hawks, 15-2, in five innings in the nightcap.

Kennedy was a little surprised to see itself in the No. 1 spot when the Class 4A preseason rankings were issued Sunday night.

"Honestly, I wasn't sure we were the No. 1 team on 42nd Street, because Xavier is really, really good," said Kennedy Coach Bret Hoyer. "And in the Metro, we have some fantastic teams.

"I think that's a compliment to the success we've had over the last few years. That's more of a tribute to the kids that graduated last year and some of the key people we have coming back."

The Cougars won the Class 4A state title in 2010 and reached the quarterfinals of the state tournament last season, finishing with a 31-9 record. Austin Christensen, the 2011 Gatorade Player of the Year for Kennedy, graduated and joined the baseball program at Nebraska. The Cougars also lost their double-play combination of Griffin Michael and
Terrell Sykes, so the No. 1 ranking came as somewhat of a surprise.

"That's nice that they ranked us that high," said Hoyer. "It certainly puts a target on our backs. And we certainly hope to be that good at the end of the year."

The Linn-Mar Lions will be aiming at that target Tuesday night in the semifinals. The Lions came out swinging and sent 15 batters to the plate in the first inning against Jefferson when they scored their 11 runs.

Michael Redmond collected a pair of doubles in the first inning and was 3-for-3 after two innings with four RBIs. Meanwhile, lefthander Jacob Stolley mowed down the J-Hawks with seven strikeouts in five innings.

"That's a great way to start off," said Stolley. "Like Coach Lechner said, it's the best first game he's ever seen."

The Lions hit line drives all over the ballpark in the first inning.

"It was great," said Redmond. "We were really excited going into this game. I was a little nervous, with first-game jitters or whatever. But we came out and we attacked early in the count and got our confidence up."

Hayden was nearly unhittable in the first game for Kennedy. He went 6 1/3 innings and allowed only two hits, an infield single by A.J. Puk and an opposite-field double by Noah Dostal that hugged the left-field line.

Hayden left after throwing 97 pitches. He struck out two batters in the first, second, third and sixth innings and fanned three batters in the fourth and fifth innings with an 87 mph fastball and sharp curveball.

"It felt good. I was hitting my spots pretty good, I thought," said Hayden, an all-state pitcher in 2011 who will play at Iowa Central Community College next year.

Hayden relied exclusively on his fastball against the first seven batters, then began mixing in the curveball with great success. "They weren't hitting the fastball," he said. "Then they started catching up to the fastball and fouling a couple off, so I starting throwing curveballs."

Hoyer liked what he saw of his top pitcher.

"We saw that at times last year," said Hoyer. "We just need him to be more consistent and follow that up next time and keep improving."

Kennedy collected only four hits against Washington southpaw Grant Dostal, who pitched a complete game for the Warriors. The Cougars also committed a couple of baserunning mistakes, but Hayden was too much for Washington.

Linn-Mar scored two runs in the second inning for an early 13-0 lead against Jefferson. The J-Hawks scored twice in the top of the third, but the Lions responded with two more runs in the bottom of the third for the 15-2 bulge.

Linn-Mar was not ranked in the preseason poll, but the Lions appear to have a strong club. "The possibilities are endless, I think," said Stolley. "The ultimate goal is go to state and win state."

The Lions could make an early statement against No. 1 Kennedy Tuesday night. "It will be fun," said Redmond. "We're just looking forward to everybody we play."

GAME 1

KENNEDY (4)
Logan Ambrosy, rf, 3 2 0 0, Cody Bell, 1b, 4 0 1 0, Zach Johnson, pr, 0 1 0 0, Devon Jacobus, ss/p, 2 0 1 1, Nick Appleget, ph, 1 0 1 0, Ryan Unash, pr, 0 0 0 0, Chico Lizarraga, c, 3 0 0 1, Brock Skow, 3b, 3 0 1 1, Adam Lloyd, lf, 2 0 0 0, Josh Jahlas, cf, 0 0 0 0, Alex Hayden, p, 3 0 0 0, Derek Jacobus, cr/ss, 0 1 0 0, Trenton Seubert, dh, 3 0 1 1, Joel Smetzer, 2b, 0 0 0 0, Andrew Johnson, cf/lf, 3 0 0 0. Totals 27 4 4 4.

WASHINGTON (0)
Noah Dostal, ss, 3 0 1 0, Matt Troendle, cf, 3 0 0 0, A.J. Puk, 1b, 3 0 1 0, Zach Gillis, dh, 3 0 0 0, Jacob Hand, lf, 0 0 0 0, Grant Dostal, p, 3 0 0 0, Will Rings, c, 2 0 0 0, Chris Harrington, cr, 0 0 0 0, Noah Burdt, rf, 1 0 0 0, Robert Hogg, 2b, 2 0 0 0, Zach Christensen, 3b, 2 0 0 0. Totals 22 0 2 0.

Kennedy      101 011 0 - 4 4 2
Washington  000 000 0 - 0 2 5

Hayden, Devon Jacobus (7) and Lizarraga. G. Dostal and Rings. W - Hayden. L - G. Dostal. 2B - N. Dostal. SB - Ambrosy, Derek Jacobus.

GAME 2

JEFFERSON (2)
Dylan Jellison, 2b, 2 0 0 0, Hunter Kloubec, ph, 1 0 0 0, Christian Knox, cf, 2 0 1 2, Sam Techau, 3b, 2 0 0 0, Austin Goodell, rf, 2 0 0 0, Ky Kramer, ss, 2 0 0 0, Jordan Dee, 1b, 2 0 0 0, Aaron Gruwell, lf, 2 1 1 0, Colten Jourdan, c, 1 0 0 0, Layne Sullivan, cr, 0 1 0 0, Chance Tiedtke, p, 0 0 0 0, Dylan Wright, p, 1 0 0 0, Ben Koering, p, 1 0 0 0. Totals 18 2
2 2.

LINN-MAR (15)
Travis Kvach, 2b, 1 3 1 3, Kevin Bogert, rf, 4 1 2 2, Michael Redmond, 3 2 3 4, Keaton Blackford, ph, 0 0 0 0, Mitchell Stickney, lf, 3 1 1 0, Nate Greve, ph, 1 0 1 0, Austin Stroschein, 3b, 1 2 1 1, Tyler Kane, ph, 1 0 0 0, Austin Banks, c, 3 0 0 0, Justin Wyant, cf, 0 1 0 0, Nick Jennings, ph, 1 0 0 0, Jimmy Roth, 1b, 0 3 0 0, Dakota Digmann, cr/ph, 0 1 0 0, Jacob Stolley, p, 2 0 1 1, Kyle Mortensen, ph, 1 0 0 0, Jack Strellner, ss, 1 1 0 2. Totals 22 15 10 13.

Jefferson        002 00 -  2   2 1
Linn-Mar     (11)22 0x - 15 10 1

Tiedtke, Wright (1), Koering (3) and Jourdan. Stolley and Banks. W - Stolley. L- Tiedtke. 2B - Knox, Kvach 1, Redmond 2.