Metro Sports Report

Local players in pro baseball

RYAN SWEENEY (Xavier, Chicago Cubs) - Placed on disabled list June 30 with fractured rib. Expected to miss at least six weeks. Season stats: G - 44, Avg. - .295, AB - 112, H - 33, HR - 4, RBI - 15, SB - 1.

SCOTT SCHEBLER (Prairie, Rancho Cucamonga (Dodgers)) - Started in right field Thursday and was 0-for-4 in the Quakes' 5-4 win over Inland Empire. Snapped his 10-game hitting streak. Season stats: G - 91, Avg. - .308, AB - 347, H - 107, HR - 21, RBI - 66, SB - 12.

KELLEN SWEENEY (Jefferson, Lansing (Blue Jays)) - Started at third base Thursday and was 0-for-2 in the Lugnuts' 8-0 loss to Dayton. Season stats: G - 83, Avg. - .181, AB - 265, H - 48, HR - 4, RBI - 19, SB - 0.

ANDREW HANSE (Linn-Mar, Hudson Valley (Rays)) - Did not pitch Thursday in the Renegades' 1-0 loss to Tri-City. Season stats: W - 1. L - 2. Sv - 2. ERA - 5.00. G - 13. IP - 18. H - 19. BB - 7. SO - 11.

CHAD CHRISTENSEN (Washington, GCL Twins (Twins)) - Started in left field Thursday and was 0-for-4 in the Twins' 4-1 win over the GCL Orioles. Season stats: G - 20, Avg. - .268, AB - 71, H - 19, HR - 1, RBI - 8, SB - 1.

JON KELLER (Xavier, GCL Orioles (Orioles)) - Did not pitch Thursday in the Orioles' 4-1 loss to the GCL Twins. Season stats: W - 0. L - 0. Sv - 0. ERA - 0.00. G - 1. IP - 1. H - 1. BB - 0. SO - 1.

Keller's clout sends Xavier to state

Mitch Keller was exhausted after throwing 121 pitches Wednesday night in the Class 4A substate finals, but he wasn't too tired to hit one of the most dramatic home runs in school history to earn the Xavier Saints a trip to the state tournament.

Keller belted a three-run homer in the bottom of the 12th inning to give the 10th-ranked Saints a tense 8-5 victory over Prairie in a classic three-hour battle at Ken Charipar Field.

Xavier (25-15) will face Sioux City East (30-9) in the opening round of the Class 4A state tournament at Principal Park in Des Moines on Wednesday at 6 p.m.

Stroschein steers Linn-Mar to state

IOWA CITY – For a full six innings Wednesday night, Austin Stroschein all but willed his Linn-Mar baseball team into the Class 4A state tournament.

At the tail end of the seventh, he finally had to rest.

But with his strong pitching arm and big bat, along with a gutsy mind-set, he’d done enough by then to lead the heavily underdog Lions past second-ranked Iowa City West, 4-3, in the substate finals on the Trojans’ home field.

The substate championship sends Linn-Mar (27-15) to a first-round state tourney date next Wednesday at noon against Johnston (26-12) at Principal Park in Des Moines.

J-Hawks edge Prairie for 5th place

FORT DODGE - Jefferson and Prairie went all the way to Fort Dodge to decide softball supremacy on the west side of Cedar Rapids and fifth place in the Class 5A state tournament.

The J-Hawks prevailed, 4-1, behind the two-hit pitching of sophomore Alyssa Olson and some clutch hitting by sophomore Maddie Hansen and freshman Erin Kuba.

Jefferson (33-12) won two games in Wednesday's consolation rounds. Prairie (29-16) split its two games.

The J-Hawks and Prairie Hawks split their doubleheader on June 4, the only time they met during the season.

This was the rubber match.