Kennedy Baseball

Kennedy, Linn-Mar earn home-field edge

Kennedy and Linn-Mar will have the home-field advantage when the Class 4A substate tournament series opens July 13.

The Cougars and Lions both have secured No. 1 seeds in their respective substates. If they win their openers on July 13, they will play in the substate finals -- at home -- on July 18. Substate winners advance to the state tournament at Des Moines. The 4A tournament is July 25, 27-28.

Official pairings for the Class 4A substate baseball tournaments won't be announced by the Iowa High School Athletic Association until later this week. But utilizing the criteria used by the IHSAA, the Metro Sports Report has calculated the standings.

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Sammy Lizarraga gives Cougars a lift

DUBUQUE - Freshman Sammy Lizarraga was promoted to the varsity Friday and pitched a two-hit shutout as Cedar Rapids Kennedy pounded Dubuque Wahlert, 15-0 in four innings, in a Mississippi Valley Conference game in Dubuque.

The second game of the scheduled doubleheader was suspended with Kennedy holding a 4-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning with two outs.

Lizarraga has played with Kennedy's sophomore team this season, but the Cougars needed a fresh arm on the mound Friday as they headed into their third doubleheader this week. He allowed only two singles with two strikeouts and one walk.

Sammy Lizarraga's older brother, Chico, is Kennedy's top catcher and they formed the battery for the second-ranked Cougars. Chico Lizarraga helped his brother even further by driving in three runs.

Josh Jahlas went 3-for-3 with a triple and two RBIs. Derek Jacobus was 2-for-3 with two RBIs.

Kennedy scored seven runs in the top of the first inning to give Sammy Lizarraga a 7-0 lead before he took the mound. The Cougars tacked on eight runs in the third inning. The game was stopped after four innings due to the 15-run mercy rule.

The victory lifted Kennedy within a half-game of first place in the Mississippi Division of the MVC with a 17-4 record. Linn-Mar leads the division with a 17-3 mark and Iowa City High is in third place at 16-4 in the 26-game campaign.

Linn-Mar's doubleheader at Iowa City High Friday was suspended in the top of the third inning of the first game with the Lions holding a 2-0 lead. The twinbill will be resumed from the point of suspension on July 9.

Nick Appleget was working on a one-hit shutout for Kennedy when the second game was suspended in the fourth inning.

Kennedy is 24-4 overall. Wahlert dropped to 11-20 overall and 8-13 in the league.

GAME ONE

KENNEDY (15)
Jahlas, cf, 3 2 3 2, Z.Johnson, cf, 1 0 0 0, Dk Jacobus, ss, 3 2 2 2, Smetzer, ph, 1 0 0 0, Ambrosy, rf, 2 2 1 0, Seubert, rf, 1 0 0 0, Bell, 1b, 3 2 1 1, Dv Jacobus, 3b, 2 1 0 1, Hayden, 2b, 3 2 0 0, Unash, 2b, 0 0 0 0, C.Lizarraga, c, 2 2 1 3, Lloyd, dh, 3 1 1 1, S.Lizarraga, p, 0 0 0 0, A.Johnson, lf, 2 1 0 0. Totals 26 15 9 10.

WAHLERT (0)
Nauman, lf, 1 0 0 0, Ruden, rf, 2 0 0 0, Klosterman, 2b, 2 0 1 0, M.Hoffman, c, 2 0 0 0, Gasper, p, 2 0 0 0, Oglesby, cf, 1 0 0 0, N.Hoffman, 3b, 1 0 0 0, Leubka, 1b, 1 0 1 0, Oittmer, dh, 1 0 0 0, Wedewer, ss, 0 0 0 0. Totals 13 0 2 0.

Kennedy    708 0 - 15 9 0
Wahlert     000 0 -  0  2 5

S.Lizarraga and C.Lizarraga; Gasper and M.Hoffman. W - S.Lizarraga (1-0). L - Gasper. 2B - Bell, C.Lizarraga. 3B - Jahlas.

Cougars fall out of MVC lead with wild split

The Cedar Rapids Kennedy and Iowa City High baseball teams threw haymakers at each other Wednesday night and depleted their pitching staffs in a Mississippi Valley Conference showdown at Kennedy.

And the big winners were ... the Linn-Mar Lions.

The Cougars and Little Hawks split their twinbill, leaving both clubs with 16-4 records in the Mississippi Division of the MVC. Meanwhile, Linn-Mar swept Cedar Falls and moved into first place in the division with a 17-3 record with six games left in the race.

Kennedy won the first game, 14-7, with Josh Jahlas going 4-for-5 in a contest filled with numerous lineup changes, but that only set the stage for the dramatic nightcap that saw Iowa City High prevail, 9-8, in 10 innings.

The second-round Cougars used six pitchers in the twinbill and the ninth-ranked Little Hawks spent seven hurlers on the hot, steamy night. Both teams played doubleheaders Monday night and both clubs have key MVC doubleheaders this Friday.

Both teams might be looking for volunteers on Friday.

Nick Appleget and Cody Bell pitched for Kennedy on Monday against Xavier and normally would be next in the rotation this Friday, but Appleget pitched in relief against Iowa City High and Bell appeared to have a tender arm Wednesday after throwing 105 pitches on Monday. He made two throwing errors while playing third base and neither throw was close.

Who wants to pitch Friday when Kennedy visits Dubuque Wahlert?

"I don't know," said Kennedy Coach Bret Hoyer. "We'll see how their arms are feeling tomorrow and Friday. We'll play it by ear and see what they say."

Iowa City High hosts Linn-Mar in another showdown Friday, and the Little Hawks have pitching concerns of their own. "We've got Linn-Mar Friday with no pitching, so we'll do the best we can," City High Coach Brian Mitchell remarked.

The Little Hawks (22-9, 16-4) roughed up Kennedy aces Alex Hayden and Adam Lloyd in the twinbill. Hayden was touched for nine hits and seven runs (five earned) in six innings in the opener, but he survived leaky defense to get the victory.

Lloyd was touched for nine hits and seven runs (two earned) in 4 2/3 innings in the nightcap and was playing left field when the game was finally decided in the 10th inning.

Ryan Duncan, normally a one-inning closer for the Little Hawks, emerged from all the clutter as the star of the second game. He pitched 4 1/3 innings in relief and got the victory by wriggling out of a jam in the bottom of the 10th.

Iowa City High took a 9-8 lead in the top of the 10th by scoring an unearned on a wild pitch, but Kennedy (23-4, 16-4) refused to go quietly in the bottom of the 10th.

Hayden led off with a double and Derek Jacobus walked with one out. They advanced to second and third on a wild pitch, but Taylor Oltmann - getting only his fourth at-bat of the season - struck out for the second out.

That brought Jahlas to the plate, but Jahlas was 6-for-10 in the doubleheader at that point with a double, triple and five RBIs so Mitchell decided to give Jahlas an intentional walk to load the bases with two outs.

That brought Logan Ambrosy to the plate, another hot hitter for the Cougars in recent weeks and 3-for-9 in the twinbill with three RBIs. "I was hoping they'd bring me up to the plate," he said, relishing the opportunity.

A base hit by Ambrosy, a .400 hitter, could have won the game and kept Kennedy in a first-place tie in the conference.

"I thought we were in a good situation there," said Hoyer. "We've got two seniors (Jahlas and Ambrosy) coming up, they've both been swinging the bat really well for us. That was a good position to be in."

Ambrosy drove an 0-1 pitch to deep right-center, but the City High centerfielder cruised over and made the catch to end the game.

"I hit it good, but it didn't land," said Ambrosy. "I thought it could be a gapper."

Duncan, who entered the game with two outs in the bottom of the sixth, struck out eight batters in 4 1/3 innings and allowed only one hit.

"He's been through a lot and he's a competitor," said Mitchell. "Obviously he's the guy we wanted to have the ball in that situation. It went a little longer than what we would have hoped. Hats off to him."

Kennedy made eight errors in the doubleheader. There also were some good defensive plays, including a sensational diving catch by Jahlas in left-center.

Hayden went 5-for-7 in the doubleheader with three doubles.

GAME ONE

IOWA CITY HIGH (7)
Frakes, 2b/p, 4 1 1 0, Duncan, cf, 3 1 0 0, Wieland, rf/2b/3b, 4 0 2 2, Crosby, 1b, 2 0 1 0, Gevock, pr, 0 0 0 0, Mrstik, ss, 4 0 0 1, Stika, c, 2 0 1 0, Simpson, cr, 0 1 0 0, Haring, rf, 1 0 0 0, Mills, lf, 4 1 1 0, Kenney, p, 2 0 1 0, Gevock, cr, 0 1 0 0, Simpson, rf/p, 1 1 1 0, Reineke, c, 1 0 0 0, Hasler, 3b/p, 3 1 1 2. Totals 31 7 9 5.

KENNEDY (14)
Jahlas, cf, 5 4 4 2, Ambrosy, 1b/rf/c, 4 0 2 3, Bell, 3b/1b, 4 0 1 1, Dv Jacobus, 2b/3b, 0 0 0 1, Oltmann, pr, 0 1 0 0, Lizarraga, c, 4 0 0 0, Seubert, ph/rf, 1 0 0 0, Hayden, p/2b, 3 0 2 1, Staton, cr, 0 3 0 0, Lloyd, rf, 3 2 1 1, Smetzer, 2b, 0 0 0 0, Maiers, p, 0 0 0 0, Dr Jacobus, ss, 4 2 2 1, A.Johnson, lf, 3 2 2 2. Totals 31 14 4 12.

Iowa City High   041 110 0 - 7   9  4
Kennedy          144 320 x - 14 14 5

Kenney, Frakes (3), Simpson (5), Hasler (6) and Stika; Hayden, Maiers (7) and Lizarraga, Ambrosy (7). W - Hayden (7-1). L - Kenney (7-1). 2B - Wieland, Simpson, Jahlas, Ambrosy, Hayden 2, Lloyd, Dr Jacobus. SB - Staton.

GAME TWO

IOWA CITY HIGH (9)
Frakes, 2b, 6 0 1 0, Duncan, cf/p, 5 2 1 0, Wieland, rf/ss, 6 2 2 0, Crosby, 1b, 4 2 3 1, Gevock, pr, 0 0 0 0, Mrstik, ss/p, 5 1 3 4, Stika, p/rf/cf, 5 0 2 1, Gevock, cr, 0 1 0 0, Mills, lf, 5 0 1 1, Haring, dh, 3 0 0 0, Simpson, ph/dh, 2 0 0 0, Parker, c, 0 0 0 0, Hasler, 3b, 5 1 1 0. Totals 46 9 14 7.

KENNEDY (8)
Jahlas, cf, 5 1 2 3, Ambrosy, rf, 6 0 1 0, Bell, 1b, 5 1 1 0, Staton, pr, 0 0 0 0, Dv Jacobus, 3b, 5 1 1 0, Lizarraga, c, 5 0 2 1, Smetzer, cr, 0 2 0 0, Hayden, 2b, 4 2 3 1, Lloyd, p/lf, 5 0 2 0, Staton, cr, 0 0 0 0, Dr Jacobus, ss, 4 0 1 2, Maiers, dh/p, 2 1 0 0, A.Johnson, lf, 0 0 0 0, Appleget, p, 0 0 0 0, Z.Johnson, p, 1 0 0 0, Oltmann, ph, 1 0 0 0. Totals 43 8 13 7.

Iowa City High   102 040 100 1 - 9 14 2
Kennedy           040 130 000 0 - 8 13 3

Stika, Mrstik (6), Duncan (6) and Parker; Lloyd, Maiers (5), Appleget (6), Z.Johnson (8) and Lizarraga. W - Duncan (3-1). L - Z.Johnson (1-1). 2B - Crosby 2, Mrstik, Stika, Dv Jacobus, Hayden. 3B - Jahlas. SB - Duncan, Hayden.

Bell shines as No. 2 Cougars sweep Saints

Cody Bell is a terrific golfer who will play at the University of Northern Iowa in a few months, but it's not the only sport where he's a top-notch performer for Kennedy High School.

The Xavier Saints learned Monday night that he's also a terrific pitcher and an excellent hitter, although they already had a hunch about that from previous encounters.

Bell tossed a neat three-hitter as Kennedy clipped the Saints, 4-1, in the second game of a Mississippi Valley Conference doubleheader at Ken Charipar Field.

The Cougars clubbed the Saints, 13-3, in five innings in the opener.

Bell went 4-for-7 in the twinbill with two doubles, raising his batting average to .442 with four homers and 27 RBIs in 25 games. He's also 2-1 on the mound with a 3.33 earned run average and is pitching the best ball of his career.

Bell is the No. 4 starter on an extraordinary staff that also features Alex Hayden, Adam Lloyd and Nick Appleget, but Bell showed he doesn't have to take a back-seat to anyone when he's got his best stuff like he did Monday night.

Bell allowed only two infield singles and a line drive that glanced off the first baseman's glove in his seven-inning performance. He tossed a 1-2-3 frame in the seventh with two strikeouts to finish the game with a flourish.

Bell also pitched well against Linn-Mar last week, undoubtedly his two best outings as a Cougar. He struggled at times earlier in the season, but appears to have hit a groove.

"I'm able to place my fastball where I need it to be. That's pretty much the main thing," he said. "My off-speed has been working somewhat - it's hit and miss - but my fastball has been consistent."

Kennedy Coach Bret Hoyer lifted Bell against Linn-Mar last week with a 5-1 lead in the sixth inning after he had thrown only 66 pitches and Linn-Mar rallied for a 7-6 victory. This time, Hoyer kept Bell in the game even when the Saints loaded the bases and his pitch count climbed into the 90's.

"Hindsight is 20-20," said Hoyer, reflecting on the loss to Linn-Mar. "If we could do it all over again we might do something different."

Bell threw 105 pitches against Xavier and appeared to be throwing as hard at the end as he did at the beginning. Hoyer had two relief pitchers ready, but Bell didn't need any help after escaping the sixth inning with minimal damage when the Saints scored their only run.

Bell wanted to pitch a complete game, the first seven-inning complete game of his varsity career. "I told Coach Hoyer that I could do it," said Bell. "My arm felt good all game, so I told him I could finish the game out."

Bell finished with six strikeouts.

"He's just steadily getting better and better as the year goes on. It's good to see," said Hoyer. "I kind of felt that might happen last year, but he didn't have enough opportunity to develop.

"We've had more opportunity this year. We're excited to see how he continues to do down the stretch."

It's easy to get overlooked on a pitching staff that features Hayden (6-1, 0.53 ERA), Lloyd (7-0, 1.58 ERA) and Appleget (6-0, 2.21 ERA). Bell could be the ace for many high school teams, but at Kennedy he has to wait his turn.

Appleget pitched the opener Monday against Xavier and was touched for a two-run homer by Adam Pick, but otherwise allowed only three singles and was able to relax when the Cougars pounded out 17 hits in their 13-3 mercy killing.

Kennedy belted Xavier starter Mack Mattke for 12 runs on 14 hits in 4 1/3 innings and chased him from the mound. Logan Ambrosy socked a long three-run homer to center field and finished with five RBIS for the Cougars in the opener.

The home run traveled more than 400 feet and was the longest homer he's ever hit in his career. "He left it hanging," said Ambrosy, who could only guess how far it traveled. "I have no idea, but I know I got all of it."

Ambrosy has been red-hot the last dozen games for Kennedy. "I'm seeing the ball a lot better," he said. "I'm really comfortable at the plate. I changed my stance a little bit and I'm hitting line drives. I've never seen the ball this well."

Josh Jahlas went 4-for-4 for Kennedy in the opener with three RBIs and three runs scored. Ambrosy followed Jahlas in the lineup and was 3-for-4 with his five RBIs and two runs scored. Bell, Devon Jacobus, Chico Lizarraga and Hayden all had two hits for the Cougars in the opener.

The nightcap developed into a pitcher's duel between Bell and Xavier senior Tyler Hines. Kennedy took a 1-0 lead on an unearned run in the first inning, but it stayed 1-0 into the fifth inning when the Cougars scored two runs on only one hit for a 3-0 lead.

Kennedy made it 4-0 in the sixth inning on an RBI single by Tony Maiers, but the Saints loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the sixth as Bell walked two batters and appeared to be tiring. Maiers warmed up in the bullpen, but wasn't needed.

Bell got Mattke on an infield grounder that plated a run, putting runners at second and third with two outs. Zach Brown popped up to Bell to end the threat.

Kennedy raised its records to 22-3 overall and 15-3 in MVC, but the Cougars dropped out of the No. 1 spot in the IHSBCA rankings Monday for the first time all season following the 7-6 loss to Linn-Mar last week. Ankeny grabbed the No. 1 spot in the rankings with Kennedy now second in the poll.

Xavier fell to 15-10 overall and 10-8 in the MVC.

GAME ONE

KENNEDY (13)
Jahlas, cf, 4 3 4 3, Ambrosy, rf, 4 2 3 5, Bell, 1b, 3 1 2 1, Dv Jacobus, 3b, 4 0 2 1, Lizarraga, c, 4 1 2 1, Smetzer, cr, 0 0 0 0, Hayden, 2b, 4 2 2 0, Lloyd, dh, 3 0 1 1, Appleget, p, 0 0 0 0, Dr Jacobus, ss, 3 0 1 1, A.Johnson, lf, 1 1 0 0, Maiers, ph, 0 1 0 0. Totals 28 13 17 13.

XAVIER (3)
Grimm, cf, 2 1 1 0, Woods, ss, 3 0 1 0, Pick, 1b, 3 1 1 2, Mattke, p, 1 0 0 0, Schulte, cr, 0 0 0 0, Scott, p, 0 0 0 0, Brown, 3b, 2 0 0 0, Ratz, rf, 2 1 1 0, Meaney, lf, 1 0 0 0, Hammerberg, dh, 1 0 0 0, Helms, c, 0 0 0 0, St. Andrews, 2b, 0 0 0 1. Totals 15 3 4 3.

Kennedy    142 15 - 13 17 0
Xavier        210 00 -  3   4 2

Appleget and Lizarraga; Mattke, Scott (5) and Helms. W - Appleget (6-0). L - Mattke (3-3). 2B - Dv Jacobus. HR - Ambrosy, Pick.

GAME TWO

KENNEDY (4)
Jahlas, cf, 4 1 1 0, Ambrosy, 1b, 3 1 0 0, Bell, p, 4 0 2 0, Staton, cr, 0 0 0 0, Dv Jacobus, 3b, 1 1 0 0, Oltmann, pr, 0 0 0 0, Lizarraga, c, 4 0 1 2, Smetzer, cr, 0 0 0 0, Hayden, 2b, 3 0 1 0, Lloyd, rf, 1 1 0 0, Dr Jacobus, ss, 2 0 1 0, Maiers, dh, 3 0 1 1, A.Johnson, lf/pr, 0 0 0 0. Totals 25 4 7 3.

XAVIER (1)
Grimm, cf, 2 0 0 0, Woods, ss, 3 0 1 0, Pick, dh, 1 0 0 0, Hines, p, 0 0 0 0, Schulte, p, 0 0 0 0, Mattke, 1b, 3 0 1 1, Brown, 3b, 3 0 0 0, Ratz, rf, 3 0 0 0, Harriott, lf, 3 0 0 0, Hammerberg, c, 3 0 0 0, St. Andrews, 2b, 2 1 1 0. Totals  23 1 3 1.

Kennedy    100 021 0 - 4 7 0
Xavier        000 001 0 - 1 3 2

Bell and Lizarraga; Hines, Schulte (5) and Hammerberg. W - Bell (2-1). L - Hines (1-1). 2B - Bell 2. SB - Ambrosy, Dr Jacobus.