Kennedy Baseball

No. 2 Cougars stung by Solon, 10-4

SOLON - The Solon Spartans have struggled through a losing campaign this season after winning the Class 3A state title in 2011, but they gave themselves something to remember Saturday night.

The Spartans upset No. 2 Kennedy, 10-4, in a non-conference ballgame at Solon.

The Spartans (14-24) scored nine runs against Kennedy ace Alex Hayden in four-plus innings of work, although only four of those runs were earned.

Solon suffered heavy graduation losses after winning the state title last year and has an entirely new lineup this season. Tim Lance went 3-for-4 and drove in three runs. Todd Oberthien also went 3-for-4 for the Spartans and pitched a complete game.

The Cougars (29-5) took a 4-0 lead in the top of the third inning, but the Spartans scored two runs in the bottom of the third and plated five runs in the bottom of the fourth to take a 7-4 lead. Solon chased Hayden in the fifth and scored three times in the inning.

Cody Bell went 2-for-4 for Kennedy and scored two runs. Logan Ambrosy was 2-for-3.

KENNEDY (4)
Jahlas, cf, 4 1 1 0, Dk Jacobus, ss, 2 0 1 0, Bell, 3b/1b, 4 2 2 1, Ambrosy, 1b/rf, 3 1 2 1, Hayden, p/2b, 3 0 0 1, Dv Jacobus, 2b/3b, 3 0 0 0, Lizarraga, c, 3 0 1 1, Lloyd, rf, 2 0 0 0, Maiers, p, 1 0 0 0, A.Johnson, lf, 1 0 0 0. Totals 26 4 7 4.

SOLON (10)
Lance, lf, 4 1 3 3, C.Dall, rf, 3 0 0 1, Holub, 2b, 4 0 1 0, Hamiel, dh, 2 1 0 0, Oberthien, p, 4 2 3 0, A.Dall, cf, 3 2 1 0, McNutt, 3b, 1 1 0 1, Ferguson, 1b, 2 1 0 1, E.Kane, ss, 2 2 1 0, L.Kane, c, 0 0 0 0. Totals 25 10 9 6.

Kennedy    202 000 0 -  4 7 3
Solon        002 530 x - 10 9 1

Hayden, Maiers (5) and Lizarraga; Oberthien and L.Kane. W - Oberthien (5-5). L - Hayden (8-2). 2B - Bell, Ambrosy, Holub, E.Kane. SB - Dk Jacobus.

Cougars go swimming for 3 victories

Kennedy Coach Bret Hoyer found a new way to try and win the Mississippi Valley Conference baseball title on Friday.

In the midst of playing three games on a scorching hot day, he told his players to go for a refreshing dip in the Kennedy High School pool.

It worked swimmingly.

The Cougars defeated Dubuque Wahlert, 6-2, in the completion of a suspended game Friday afternoon as the thermometer flirted with 100 degrees, and they had 90 minutes to kill before their scheduled doubleheader against Waterloo West would begin.

Everyone in the pool!

The Cougars splashed around for about an hour and returned to the ballpark to sweep Waterloo West, 15-11 and 14-1, to stay alive in the Mississippi Division race.

Ah, a refreshing swim on a searing afternoon.

"I wouldn't call that swimming," Hoyer said with a smile. "It was more jump in, soak and don't screw around."

Hoyer is cautious when it comes to swimming pools. At the state tournament a few years ago, Hoyer let the Cougars go swimming and one of his players suffered a concussion when a teammate accidentally jumped on top of him in the pool.

In any case, his players appreciated the reprieve on Friday.

"It was really refreshing," said Cody Bell, who continued his hot hitting and picked up a save in the 15-11 victory over Waterloo West. "I wasn't too hot the second game of the day, so I thought it was a real benefit."

The three victories lifted the second-ranked Cougars to 29-4 for the season, putting them on the cusp of a 30-win campaign as they head to Solon Saturday night.

Of more significance, Kennedy finished the conference part of its schedule with a 22-4 mark to keep its title hopes alive in the Mississippi Division. Linn-Mar swept Dubuque Hempstead on Friday and is sitting at 21-3 in the division heading into a makeup doubleheader at Iowa City High on Monday.

If Linn-Mar sweeps City High, the Lions will be the Mississippi Division champs at 23-3. If Linn-Mar splits on Monday, the Lions will share the division title with Kennedy at 22-4. And if Linn-Mar gets swept on Monday, the Cougars will be the outright champs.

The Cougars want that conference title.

"It's a big deal. We talk about it every day," said Logan Ambrosy, who continued his ferocious hitting on Friday.

Kennedy's No. 1 goal every year is winning the state title. Then comes the conference.

"I feel like it's a real big deal," said Bell. "It's more of a team thing than anything else, because I feel like you need a whole staff to go through the whole conference. I feel like this is a good year to do it."

Kennedy has won five conference titles since 2003. If the Cougars win the title this year, it would be six crowns in 10 years.

"It's the second-biggest goal," said Ambrosy. "It's a lot harder to win our conference title than a substate."

It's also a lot harder to win three games in one day, even against struggling teams, but the Cougars found a way to pull it off.

The tripleheader was a result of stormy weather last Friday in eastern Iowa. Kennedy won the first game of its doubleheader at Dubuque Wahlert and had a 4-0 lead in the fourth inning of the nightcap when the game was suspended due to lightning.

Wahlert was coming to Cedar Rapids anyway Friday for a doubleheader at Xavier, so the Golden Eagles stopped at Kennedy Friday afternoon to finish the suspended game at 2:30. The Cougars expanded their lead to 6-0 in the top of the seventh (Kennedy was the visiting team), but Wahlert rallied for two runs in the bottom of the seventh and had the bases loaded with only one out.

Levi Nauman lined a shot that appeared headed to left field for a single, but Kennedy shortstop Derek Jacobus snared the frozen rope and flipped to second base for a double play to end the game and preserve the 6-2 victory.

Nick Appleget (7-0) got the victory against Wahlert. Alex Hayden went 3-for-4 with three doubles. Bell collected a double, triple and two RBIs. Jacobus and Chico Lizarraga had two hits.

Wahlert (12-24, 9-17) left Kennedy and drove down 42nd Street NE to Xavier, where it lost a doubleheder to finish 0-and-3 for the day.

Kennedy left the park for its refreshing dip in the pool, then returned and grabbed a 10-3 lead after three innings against Waterloo West with freshman Sammy Lizarraga pitching for the Cougars. The Trojans got to Lizarraga, however, and pulled within 11-9 in the top of the fifth inning and Hoyer replaced Lizarraga with Zach Johnson.

The Cougars scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning and added two more markers in the bottom of the sixth for a seemingly safe 15-9 advantage, but Waterloo West (6-31, 3-23) refused to go quietly. The Wahawks scored twice in the seventh to pull within 15-11 and had the bases loaded with two outs, but Bell got the final out on a fly ball.

Josh Jahlas and Bell went 4-for-5 in the opener against Waterloo West. Ambrosy went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a towering home run and three RBIs. Andrew Johnson hit a three-run double for the Cougars.

The nightcap against Waterloo West became a laugher when Kennedy batted around twice in the second inning and scored 14 runs. Jahlas had two doubles and four RBIs in the second inning. Chico Lizarraga had two singles in the inning with three RBIs.

Adam Lloyd allowed only two hits in the 14-1 victory, both of them doubles. He pitched the entire five-inning game and raised his record to a perfect 9-0.

COMPLETION OF JUNE 29 SUSPENDED GAME

KENNEDY (6)
Jahlas, cf, 4 1 1 1, Dr Jacobus, ss, 4 1 2 0, Bell, 1b, 4 0 2 2, Dv Jacobus, 3b, 4 0 0 0, Skow, 3b, 0 0 0 0, Ambrosy, c, 2 1 0 0, Hayden, 2b, 4 1 3 1, Staton, pr, 0 1 0 0, C.Lizarraga, dh, 3 0 2 0, Unash, pr, 0 0 0 0, Appleget, p, 0 0 0 0, Maiers, p, 0 0 0 0, Lloyd, rf, 3 0 0 0, Seubert, rf, 1 0 0 0, A.Johnson, lf, 2 1 1 0, Z.Johnson, 1 0 0 0. Totals 32 6 11 4.

WAHLERT (2)
Nauman, 2b/ss, 4 0 0 0, Ruden, dh/2b, 3 0 2 0, Wedewer, ss, 0 0 0 0, Klostermann, c, 3 0 0 0, M.Hoffman, rf, 1 1 0 0, Gasper, 1b, 3 0 0 0, Dittmer, pr, 0 0 0 0, Oglesby, cf, 3 1 0 0, N.Hoffman, 3b, 2 0 1 1, Leubka, p, 1 0 0 0, Kunkel, p, 1 0 1 0, Dittmer, cr, 0 0 0 0, Launspach, cr, 0 0 0 0, Ploessl, lf, 2 0 1 0. Totals 23 2 5 1.

Kennedy    112 001 1 - 6 11 1
Wahlert     000 000 2 - 2  5  4

Appleget, Maiers (7) and Ambrosy; Leubka, Kunkel (4) and Klostermann. W - Appleget (7-0). L - Luebka (1-6). S - Maiers (1). 2B - Bell, Hayden 3. 3B - Bell. SB - Dr.Jacobus, Lizarraga, A.Johnson.

REGULAR DOUBLEHEADER

GAME ONE

WATERLOO WEST (11)
Brown, cf, 5 1 2 1, Kullen, rf, 5 2 3 0, Vaughn, ss, 4 2 3 2, Fricke, c, 4 0 3 2, Medina, cr, 0 2 0 0, Ohrt, 1b, 4 2 2 1, Jenkins, 3b/p, 4 0 0 0, Price, lf, 3 2 2 1, Heyerhoff, 2b/3b, 4 0 2 2, McClain, p/2b, 4 0 0 1. Totals 37 11 17 10.

KENNEDY (15)
Jahlas, cf, 5 2 4 2, Dr Jacobus, ss, 4 1 1 1, Bell, 1b/p, 5 3 4 1, Staton, 1b, 0 0 0 0, Dv Jacobus, 3b, 4 2 0 2, Ambrosy, rf/1b, 4 2 3 3, Hayden, 2b, 2 1 0 0, C.Lizarraga, c, 2 0 1 1, Smetzer, cr, 0 1 0 0, Appleget, dh, 1 1 0 0, S.Lizarraga, p, 0 0 0 0, Z.Johnson, p, 0 0 0 0, Seubert, pr, 0 1 0 0, Oltmann, rf, 0 0 0 0, A.Johnson, lf, 3 1 1 3. Totals 30 15 14 13.

Wahlert     201 150 2 - 11 17 3
Kennedy    505 122 x - 15 14 2

McClain, Jenkins (4) and Fricke. S.Lizarraga, Z.Johnson (5), Bell (7) and C.Lizarraga. W - S.Lizarraga (2-0). L - McLain (0-7). S - Bell (1). 2B - Kullen, Ambrosy (2), Bell, A.Johnson. 3B - Vaughn, Bell, Jahlas. HR - Ambrosy. SB - Jahlas.

GAME TWO

WATERLOO WEST (1)
Brown, cf, 3 0 0 0, Kullen, rf/p, 2 0 0 0, Vaughn, ss, 2 0 1 0, Fricke, c, 1 0 0 0, Ticknor, ph, 1 0 0 0, Ohrt, p/1b, 1 0 1 0, Evans, cr, 0 1 0 0, Price, lf/3b, 2 0 0 0, Jenkins, 1b/rf/c, 1 0 0 1, Heyerhoff, 3b, 1 0 0 0, Payne, rf, 0 0 0 0, McClain, 2b, 2 0 0 0. Totals 16 1 2 1.

KENNEDY (14)
Jahlas, cf, 3 2 2 4, Jurgensen, ph, 1 0 0 0, Dr Jacobus, ss, 2 1 1 1, King, ph, 1 0 0 0, Bell, 1b, 3 1 1 1, Staton, 1b, 1 0 0 0, Dv Jacobus, 3b, 1 2 0 0, Skow, 3b, 0 0 0 0, Ambrosy, rf, 0 1 0 1, Unash, ph, 0 0 0 0, Moorman, rf, 0 0 0 0, Hayden, 2b, 0 2 0 0, Solorio, ph, 1 0 0 0, Smetzer, 2b, 0 0 0 0, C.Lizarraga, dh, 2 2 2 2, Maiers, c, 0 0 0 0, Seubert, ph, 1 0 0 0, Lloyd, p, 3 0 1 1, Staton, cr, 0 1 0 0, A.Johnson, lf, 1 2 1 1, Oltmann, lf, 1 0 0 0. Totals 21 14 8 12.

Waterloo West   010    00 - 1 2 2
Kennedy          0(14)0 0x - 14 8 0

Ohrt, Kullen (2) and Fricke; Lloyd and Maiers. W - Lloyd (9-0). L - Ohrt (1-6). 2B - Vaughn, Ohrt, Jahlas 2.

Jahlas sets table; Cougars feast on J-Hawks

Josh Jahlas set the table and the Kennedy Cougars dined on Jefferson pitching Tuesday night at Jefferson.

Jahlas was 3-for-3, scored four runs and drove in one to lead No. 2 Kennedy past Jefferson, 10-0, in six innings in a Mississippi Valley Conference baseball game.

Cody Bell swatted a two-run home run and drove in three runs for Kennedy (26-4, 19-4).

Jahlas, Kennedy's lead-off hitter, reached base all four plate appearances.

"I feel like that's my job," said Jahlas, who also made a diving catch in center field to rob Jefferson's Colten Jourdan of an extra-base hit. "I know we have good hitters behind me that will drive me home."

Jahlas boosted his batting average to .448.

"I'm coming up to the plate with confidence and that continued tonight," he said.

"When you have a guy like that, who understands how to put pressure on the defense, understands opponents' strengths and weaknesses, that's a terrific advantage for us," Kennedy Coach Bret Hoyer said.

The Cougars had to go eight innings to beat Jefferson, 9-8, on Monday night at Kennedy.

"I think we were more focused tonight," said Jahlas, who had the game-tying hit that sent Monday's game into extra innings. "I think we may have taken them too lightly yesterday. They're a good team and they hit the ball well."

After collecting 12 hits Monday, Jefferson (14-19, 12-12) was held to two safeties Tuesday by Alex Hayden and Nick Appleget. Hayden (8-1) gave up one hit in the first five innings.

"Last night we put hits together and scored some runs," said Jefferson senior Chance Tiedtke, who had a first-inning single. "Tonight, we didn't get too many hits and it was hard to stay positive. I think we were still kind of thinking about last night's game and you can't do that in baseball because every game is different."

This one was a lot different. Instead of having to rally from behind, Kennedy jumped on Jefferson's Jourdan for two runs in the first inning and three more in the second for a 5-0 lead.

Jahlas singled to lead off the game and went second on a sacrifice bunt by Derek Jacobus. Bell was hit by a pitch before Jourdan bounced a pitch that got away from Jefferson catcher Ben Koering. Jahlas raced to third on the wild pitch and scored when Koering's throw was low and bounced away for an error.

That type of execution was lacking in Monday's game, and Hoyer let his club know he wasn't happy about it following the contest.

Hoyer cracked a smile following Tuesday's tilt, which included three sacrifice flies and only five runners left on base.

"This was more like it," Hoyer said.

Jahlas had an RBI double, and Derek Jacobus and Bell had sacrifice flies in the second inning. Bell belted his two-run home run in the fourth inning and the Cougars tallied three times in the sixth. Jahlas doubled leading off the inning and scored on consecutive wild pitches by Layne Sullivan. Derek Jacobus, who had walked, scored on a passed ball and Bell, who had singled, scored on Devon Jacobus' sacrifice fly.

"We knew we couldn't put ourselves in a hole, but that's what we did," Jefferson Coach Mike Kuba said. "We showed up flat tonight, for whatever reason. We couldn't get it going."

Jefferson played without starters Jordan Dee (wrist) and Austin Goodell (ankle), both of whom were injured in Monday's game. Kuba said both are day-to-day.

"It's tough to take two strong, put the ball in play hitters out of your lineup," Kuba said.

Jefferson has little time to dwell on its loss. The J-Hawks play Wednesday at North Scott in a JV/varsity doubleheader that starts at 10 a.m.

Kennedy, meanwhile, has three contests on Friday. The Cougars will complete a suspended game against Dubuque Wahlert at 2:30 p.m., then host Waterloo West in a doubleheader that starts at 5 p.m.

"That will be a test of our mental toughness," Hoyer said. "We're trying to stay in the hunt for a conference title. We'll see if we can finish what we started."

KENNEDY (10)
Josh Jahlas, cf, 3 4 3 1, Derek Jacobus, ss, 1 1 0 1, Cody Bell, 3b-1b, 2 2 2 3, Trenton Seubert, pr, 0 1 0 0, Devon Jacobus, 2b-3b, 2 0 0 1, Logan Ambrosy, 1b-rf, 4 0 1 1, Alex Hayden, p-2b, 4 0 1 0, Jared Staton, cr, 0 0 0 0, Jimmy Lizarraga, c, 2 0 0 0, Joel Smetzer, cr, 0 0 0 0, Adam Lloyd, rf, 1 1 0 0, Nick Appleget, p, 0 0 0 0, Andrew Johnson, lf, 2 1 1 0. Totals 21 10 8 7.

JEFFERSON (0)
Dylan Jellison, 2b, 2 0 0 0, Christian Knox, cf, 3 0 0 0, Chance Tiedtke, lf, 2 0 1 0, Colten Jourdan, p-c, 3 0 1 0, Alec McIntosh, cr, 0 0 0 0, Layne Sullivan, dh-p, 3 0 0 0, Ben Koering, c, 0 0 0 0, Sam Techau, 3b, 1 0 0 0, Dylan Wright, 1b, 1 0 0 0, Aaron Gruwell, rf, 2 0 0 0, Ky Kramer, ss, 2 0 0 0. Totals 19 0 2 0.

Kennedy   230 203 --  10  8  0
Jefferson  000 000 --   0   2  3

Hayden, Appleget (6) and Lizarraga. Jourdan, Sullivan (6) and Koering, Jourdan (6). W - Hayden (8-1). L - Jourdan (2-2). 2B - Jahlas 2. HR - Bell.

 

 

Last Updated on Tuesday, 03 July 2012 22:32

Lloyd comes through in the clutch for Cougars

Adam Lloyd said he was supposed to take a pitch when he stepped to the plate with two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth inning of Kennedy's baseball game Monday night against Jefferson.

But ...

"In the heat of the moment I thought I'd take a hack at it," Lloyd said, discounting the possibility of failure. "I still had two more strikes left."

He didn't need them.

Lloyd's single plated Cody Bell with the winning run and the No. 2 Cougars escaped the upset-minded J-Hawks, 9-8, in a Mississippi Valley Conference game at Kennedy.

Kennedy (25-4, 18-4) rallied from 5-1 and 7-5 deficits to win the game. But Coach Bret Hoyer was not happy with the Cougars' performance.

"We had some individuals who did a nice job, but collectively we're not doing the job right now," Hoyer said.

Hoyer was displeased with his team for the mental errors they have made, especially with the start of the substate tournament just 11 days away. He said the Cougars have been fortunate to win two of three games in splitting a doubleheader last week against Iowa City High and beating Jefferson on Monday.

"We're not executing in pitching, not making pitches when we have to. We're not making routine plays and we're not executing on offense either," he said. "We won two of three, but this team can't be content with winning two of three. We have a lot more ability than we're showing and if we're going to be content with winning two of three, we have some problems that we as coaches have to get turned around."

Jefferson (14-18, 12-11) scored five runs in the top of the third to erase a 1-0 Kennedy lead. Christian Knox had an RBI double, Layne Sullivan a run-scoring single and Colten Jourdan a two-run double for the J-Hawks.

But the game was far from over.

"Good teams chip away," Jefferson Coach Mike Kuba said. "It would have been naive for us to think they would not climb back into the ballgame."

Climb the Cougars did, scoring four runs in the bottom of the third to tie the game, 5-5. Logan Ambrosy belted a two-run home run and Zach Johnson had an RBI single.

"That was big," said Bell, who had four of the Cougars' 15 hits and scored three runs. "We didn't want to let them take control of the game. We knew if we stayed close we could strike at the end. We're a good late-inning team."

Chance Tiedtke, who had three of Jefferson's 12 hits, laced an RBI double in the fourth that put the J-Hawks back on top, 6-5. They added a run in the fifth on Jourdan's sacrifice fly for a 7-5 lead.

"I was impressed with the way Jefferson hit the ball," Hoyer said. "They put pressure on us and made us make plays, and we didn't make them. It's frustrating."

Kennedy made enough plays, though. The Cougars knotted the score in the bottom of the sixth. Derek Jacobus beat out a one-out bunt single and Bell doubled him to third. A balk scored Jacobus and sent Bell to third base and the latter scored on a sacrifice fly by Devon Jacobus.

Jefferson reclaimed the lead in the top of the seventh on a one-out, base-loaded squeeze bunt by Dylan Jellison.

But Kennedy tied the game back up in the bottom of the seventh on Josh Jahlas' two-out RBI single.

Lloyd, who pitched the final four innings, set Jefferson down in order in the top of the eighth. It was the only time the J-Hawks went down 1-2-3 in the game.

Bell singled leading off the Kennedy eighth. A wild pitch, strikeout, intentional walk and groundout put Cougars at second and third with two outs. Jimmy Lizarraga walked to load the bases and Lloyd strode to the plate.

It was a senior against Jefferson eighth grader Spencer Van Scoyoc, who came into the game in the top of the eighth as the J-Hawks' fourth pitcher.

"He had just walked some guys, so I figured he'd come back with a fastball," said Lloyd, who lined an opposite-field single to right for the game winner.

The teams play again Tuesday night at Jefferson in a sophomore/varsity doubleheader that begins at 5 p.m.

"We need to get right back at it," Kuba said. "We can't be all gloom and doom."

Jefferson played without shortstop Ky Kramer, who was away because of a death in the family. He is expected back for Tuesday's game. Jordan Dee and Austin Goodell also were injured during the game. Dee injured his wrist sliding and Goodell took a foul ball off his instep.

Jefferson won the sophomore game, 10-0 in five innings.

 

JEFFERSON (8)
Dylan Jellison, 2b-p, 3 2 1 1, Christian Knox, cf-2b, 3 1 1 1, Jordan Dee, 1b, 2 0 0 1, Colton Spicer, 1b, 3 0 0 0, Chance Tiedtke, p-lf, 5 0 3 1, Aaron Gruwell, cr, 0 1 0 0, Austin Goodell, rf, 4 1 1 0, Gruwell, rf, 1 0 0 0, Spencer Van Scoyoc, p, 0 0 0 0, Layne Sullivan, dh, 4 3 2 1, Ben Koering, ss, 0 0 0 0, Sam Techau, 3b, 2 0 1 0, Colten Jourdan, c, 3 0 2 3, Hunter Kloubec, cr, 0 0 0 0, Dylan Wright, lf-p-cf-rf, 3 0 1 0, Gruwell, cr, 0 0 0 0. Totals 33 8 12 8.

KENNEDY (9)
Josh Jahlas, cf, 5 0 2 1, Derek Jacobus, ss, 5 1 1 0, Cody Bell, p-1b, 5 3 4 0, Jared Staton, cr, 0 0 0 0, Devon Jacobus, 3b, 4 1 2 1, Logan Ambroosy, 1b-rf, 3 2 1 2, Alex Hayden, 2b, 4 1 1 0, Jimmy Lizarraga, c, 3 1 2 1, Joel Smetzer, cr, 0 0 0 0, Adam Lloyd, rf-p, 2 0 1 1, Zach Johnson, p, 1 0 1 1, Staton, cr, 0 0 0 0, Brandon Seubert, cr, 0 0 0 0, Andrew Johnson, lf, 4 0 0 0. Totals 36 9 15 7.

Jefferson   005 110 10 --  8  12  3
Kennedy   014 002 11 --  9  15  3

Tiedtke, Wright (4), Jellison (6), Van Scoyoc (8) and Jourdan. Bell, Z.Johnson (3), Lloyd (5) and Lizarraga. W - Lloyd (8-0). L - Van Scoyoc (1-2). 2B - Knox, Tiedtke, Sullivan, Jourdan, Bell 2. HR - Ambrosy. SB - Lizarraga, Seubert.

Last Updated on Monday, 02 July 2012 23:22