Jefferson Baseball

Brown's no-hitter sends Saints to finals

Zach Brown cannot touch his toes, but he sure can pitch.

Brown tossed a no-hitter with 12 strikeouts Tuesday night as Xavier blanked Linn-Mar, 4-0, in the semifinals of the Bob Vrbicek Metro Baseball Tournament at the new Linn-Mar complex.

Brown, a senior right-hander, is a strong guy and a good athlete, but he has to bend his knees to reach his toes.

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Roth lifts Lions; Saints rip J-Hawks

Jimmy Roth noticed the lightning in the distance when he came to bat in the bottom of the seventh inning with the score tied, the bases loaded and two outs Monday night.

The slender senior seized the moment and produced a little lightning of his own.

Roth's single to left field lifted Linn-Mar by Prairie, 4-3, in the opening round of the Bob Vrbicek Metro Baseball Tournament at the new Linn-Mar field.

"It was a really big win against a very good team," said Roth, who looped an 0-2 pitch to the opposite field for the game-winner. "It was just a great game to win, especially at the new complex. It's a confidence booster."

The game probably would have been suspended if Roth hadn't gotten his clutch hit, because the lightning strikes were about 10 miles away and headed toward the field.

"That was going to be the last at-bat, probably," said Linn-Mar Coach Chad Lechner. "It saved a lot of headaches for planning and scheduling for everybody. I'm glad we were able to get it in."

Xavier mauled Jefferson, 12-1, in the first game Monday as Corbin Woods went 3-for-4 with a double and two home runs, including the first homer at the new park. Mitch Keller pitched a strong game for the Saints, allowing three hits in six innings with eight strikeouts.

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Rodenkirk breathes life into J-Hawks

Kyle Rodenkirk takes the helm at Jefferson as head coach at his alma mater. He replaces Mike Kuba, who has moved over to the softball program as an assistant coach at Jefferson.

Rodenkirk inherits a team that finished 15-21 in 2012 and graduated many of its top performers.

Gone is Chance Tiedke, who led the team with 53 hits, 34 RBIs and a .445 average. Also lost to graduation are Jordan Dee and Dylan Jellison, who were critical pieces to the J-Hawk offense.

Colten Jourdan, Austin Goodell, Dee and Tiedke combined for 26 starts on the mound, resulting in 11 of their 15 wins.

Despite the losses, Rodenkirk is fervent about the chances for his 2013 J-Hawks.

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Metro baseball tournament pairings set

The 2013 Bob Vrbicek Metro Baseball Tournament will be held May 20-22, with the finals scheduled for Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Linn-Mar and Marion High School are the hosts.

The opening-round games at the new Linn-Mar High School field on Monday, May 20 will feature Jefferson against Xavier at 5 p.m. and Prairie against Linn-Mar at 7 p.m.

The opening-round games at Marion on Monday, May 20 will feature Washington against Mount Vernon at 5 p.m. and Marion against Kennedy at 7 p.m.

The second-round games will be played at Linn-Mar and Marion on Tuesday, May 21. The championship and third-place games will be held at Veterans Memorial Stadium on Wednesday, May 22, with the fifth-place and seventh-place games at Linn-Mar on May 22.