Metro Sports Report

Twins stocked with talented young pitchers

(EDITOR'S NOTE: Last in a series of preseason looks at the Cedar Rapids Kernels)

It’s no secret that the Minnesota Twins have issues these days with regard to their pitching, but there is hope for the future and some of that future could be on display in Cedar Rapids this summer.

One of the challenges in projecting starting pitching vs. bullpen pitching is that, at the Class A level, organizations tend to ask many of their pitchers to spend time in both roles. Nobody really knows with certainty which pitchers have a Major League future as a starter and which will eventually find a role in the bullpen.

In addition, the Twins will want to limit the number of innings many of their pitching prospects put on their arms during each minor league season. One way to accomplish that is to have even those pitchers clearly earmarked for rotation roles spend a chunk of their minor league seasons in the bullpen.

Belk pitches no-hitter as Eagles sweep

Collin Belk tossed a no-hitter as the Kirkwood Eagles trimmed Iowa Lakes, 2-1, in eight innings in the first game of a doubleheader at the Kirkwood field Sunday.

The Eagles also won the second game, 8-7.

Belk (4-0) walked only two batters and was touched for an unearned run in the fourth inning when Iowa Lakes took a 1-0 lead. Kirkwood scored in the bottom of the fourth and it stayed 1-1 until the bottom of the eighth.

Evans snaps 1600 mark at Ask Relays

Linn-Mar's Josh Evans has been working his way back slowly after suffering leg and back injuries at the end of the cross country season.

He was limited to one event at Saturday's 54th edition of the John Ask Relays on a windy, rainy afternoon at Kingston Stadium in Cedar Rapids. But the junior made the most of that event, breaking a mark that had stood since 1978.

Evans dueled for three laps of the 1600-meter run with Iowa City West's Bailey Wetherell before breaking away over the final 400 meters to win in 4 minutes, 23.90 seconds. The time broke the old meet standard of 4:24.5 set by Waterloo East's Todd Paverill in 1978, and it was a surprise to Evans.

"I thought I was running slower than that," he said. "With the wind blowing and my legs kinda burning I didn't think I would be able to run a 4:23. I thought I was in the 4:25-4:26 range."

Logemann sets KCC record with 19 K's

Amber Logemann struck out 21 batters in the Class 1A state championship game for Earlham High School last year, but the Cardinals lost 1-0 to Martensdale-St. Mary's in 11 innings. So there wasn't a whole lot to celebrate that day.

She tossed another gem Saturday for the Kirkwood Eagles and went home a winner.

Logemann set a school record with 19 strikeouts as Kirkwood outlasted Southwestern Community College, 2-1, in 13 innings on a cold, wet, dreary day at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids.