Jefferson Baseball

J-Hawks sweep No. 8 Dubuque Senior

The Jefferson J-Hawks could not play on their home field Monday because it was severely damaged in a storm last week and they could not play at Kirkwood because that field was too wet.

Undaunted, the J-Hawks agreed to play their Mississippi Valley Conference doubleheader against Dubuque Senior in Dubuque instead of Cedar Rapids and came home with a pair of satisfying victories.

The resilient J-Hawks swept the twinbill, 5-1 and 1-0.

Lucas Larson went 2-for-4 and drove in three runs in the opener for Jefferson (15-6, 10-4). Spencer VanScoyoc went 3-for-3 with two doubles and a home run. Larson also socked a homer.

Ben Koering pitched a five-hitter for Jefferson in the 5-1 victory, with four strikeouts and no walks.

VanScoyoc and Colton Knox combined on a four-hit shutout in the nightcap. VanScoyoc tossed the first two innings, then Knox relieved and pitched five strong frames.

Marcus Colbert went 2-for-2 for the J-Hawks in the second game and scored the only run. Cam Frazier was 2-for-3.

Game 1

Jefferson        010 030 1 - 5 7 0
Dubuque Senior   010 000 0 - 1 5 4

W - Koering. L - Noel.

Game 2

Jefferson        000 100 0 - 1 6 1
Dubuque Senior   000 000 0 - 0 4 2

W - Knox. L - Clemens.

Spencer Hunt wins Metro Spotlight Award

The Jefferson baseball team won only 12 games last season, but the J-Hawks are enjoying a revival this year with a 13-6 mark at the halfway point of the campaign.

Spencer Hunt has been one of the driving forces this year and is the winner of the Metro Spotlight Award for high school boys this week, the Metro Sports Report announced Sunday.

Hunt, a senior, is one of Jefferson's leading hitters with a .350 batting average, three home runs and 14 RBIs. He also has been a force on the mound with a 2-0 record and 2.88 ERA.

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Cougars, J-Hawks lead Metro baseball

This is not shaping up as a particularly good year for high school baseball in the Metro area.

Only Kennedy and Jefferson have winning records in conference games. And only Kennedy, Jefferson and Xavier have winning records overall.

The Xavier Saints suffered a big loss this month when Mitch Keller accepted a $1 million signing bonus from Pittsburgh and left to begin his pro career.

The Linn-Mar Lions also have suffered a big loss with all-state catcher Brandt Ollinger playing travel ball this summer with an all-star team. Linn-Mar Coach Chad Lechner said Ollinger will be gone for an extended period of time.

Kennedy is ranked No. 2 in Class 4A and Jefferson defeated No. 1 Hempstead in the second game of a doubleheader Friday.

Here are the Metro records through June 22:

Kennedy         14-2 overall   10-2 MVC
Jefferson       13-6 overall   8-4 MVC
Xavier          12-8 overall   6-6 MVC
Marion          8-8 overall    6-6 Wamac
Linn-Mar        9-14 overall   4-8 MVC
Prairie         4-12 overall   3-7 MVC
Washington      3-12 overall   3-9 MVC
Cedar Valley    0-14 overall

J-Hawks split with No. 1 Hempstead

DUBUQUE - Spencer VanScoyoc hit a home run and drove in three runs Friday as the Jefferson J-Hawks tripped top-ranked Dubuque Hempstead, 10-5 in nine innings, in the second game of a Mississippi Valley Conference doubleheader in Dubuque.

Hempstead won the first game, 9-6.

Jefferson trailed 4-0 heading into the top of the seventh inning in the nightcap, but the J-Hawks rallied for five runs to take a 5-4 lead. Hempstead responded with one run in the bottom of the seventh to force extra innings.

Jefferson put another 5-spot on the board in the top of the ninth inning. VanScoyoc came in to pitch in the bottom of the ninth and struck out the side to preserve the victory.

Mannie Olutunde, Spencer Hunt and Michael Neuberger had two hits for Jefferson in the victory. Lucas Larson, Hunt and Drew Johnson drove in two runs.

Olutunde went 3-for-4 with two RBIs in the first game for the J-Hawks. Hunt was 2-for-4 and Marcus Colbert drove in two runs.

The split left Jefferson at 13-6 overall and 8-4 in the MVC. Hempstead fell to 20-2 and 10-2.

Game 1

Jefferson        013 002 0 - 6 11 3
Hempstead     020 520 x - 9 13 1

W - Millius. L - VanScoyoc.

Game 2

Jefferson        000 000 505 - 10 10 2
Hempstead     000 031 100 - 5 11 2

W - Koering. L - Duax.