Metro Sports Report

Marion nipped by No.9 Charles City, 5-4

The Marion Indians lost to No.9 Charles City, 5-4, in the opening round of the Heald/Jackson baseball tournament at Marion High School Saturday morning.

The Indians led Cedar Rapids Prairie, 10-2, after three innings in the consolation game for third place before rains halted play. The teams plan to finish the suspended game on July 11 and also play another game that day.

Charles City was set to face Burlington in the championship game, but that game was cancelled due to rain. Burlington defeated Prairie, 10-1, in the opening round.

Kasey Semler hit a home run for Marion (13-9) against Charles City. The Indians had their nine-game winning streak snapped.

MARION (4)
Semler, 2b, 4 1 2 1, Wagner, 3b, 4 0 1 0, Nielsen, ss, 2 0 0 0, Albaugh, rf, 4 0 0 0, Biery, 1b, 3 0 0 0, Johnson, c, 3 1 1 0, A. Charipar, cf, 3 0 0 0, Fish, dh, 3 1 2 0, Connolly, p, 0 0 0 0, Davila, lf, 3 0 1 1. Totals 29 4 7 2.

CHARLES CITY (5)
Mitchell, 2b, 2 1 0 0, Huegel, ss, 3 2 1 0, Etherington, 3b, 3 0 1 0, Isakson, c/p, 3 1 1 0, Hageman, cf, 3 1 2 0, Solomon, rf, 2 0 0 0, Girkin, dh, 3 0 0 0, Anderegg, p, 0 0 0 0, Gabel, 1b/c, 1 0 0 0, Armstrong, lf, 3 0 1 0. Totals 23 5 6 0.

Marion          000 120 1 - 4 7 2
Charles City   000 230 x - 5 7 2

Connolly and Johnson. Anderegg, Isakson (5) and Isakson, Gabel (5). W - Isakson. L - Connolly. 2B - Fish. HR - Semler.

Xavier rallies to beat J-Hawks twice

The coach knows best, especially when facing one of the former players in his program.

Xavier Coach Dave Schemmel said he had an idea that Jefferson pitcher Bailey Hollingsworth, who played his freshman season for the Saints, would be spinning curveballs with no outs and the winning run on second base in the bottom of the seventh inning of a tie game Friday night at Ken Charipar Field.

So, after giving the bunt sign to Alex Ries, who failed to deliver on the first pitch, Schemmel took the bunt off. One strike later, Ries lined a single just inside third base that plated the winning run in a 5-4 win over the J-Hawks that completed a doubleheader sweep. The Saints rallied for four runs in the bottom of the seventh to win the opener, 10-9.

"I figured Bailey has a bunch of different pitches and I figured with who we had up next in the order, Alex would be just as good as anybody to get some solid contact," Schemmel said. "So I just let him go."

Ries was surprised Schemmel took the bunt off.

"I don't know why he did that," Ries said. "But I just went with it and tried to make something good of it."

Xavier (18-5, 12-4) ran its winning streak to six games and holds a three-game lead in the MVC Valley Division. The Saints are 5-1 in one-run games.

No.5 Cougars trim Warriors for 9th win in row

Kennedy Coach Bret Hoyer had his baseball team practice the dogpile it would use to celebrate a Class 4A substate title a few years ago, just to make sure nobody got hurt and to implant a positive attitude in his players before a big game.

The man is a perfectionist, so it was no surprise he was not entirely happy with his ballclub Friday after its Mississippi Valley Conference game at Washington.

Kennedy rallied for a 4-2 victory, but the Cougars had two straight runners picked off first base and committed other sins during a two-game series with the Warriors Thursday and Friday.

So no, Hoyer was not happy.

"No, not at all," he said while supervising outfield laps after the game. "The kids know it."

Kennedy has won nine straight games, is ranked No.5 in the state and leads the MVC Mississippi Division by one game, but Hoyer is looking toward the postseason, where small mistakes could cost the Cougars a chance to defend their Class 4A state title.

Small mistakes nearly cost Kennedy (20-4, 13-1) a chance to beat the undermanned and spirited Warriors, who have only 12 players in uniform but keep battling. Hoyer wants to correct those problems now.

Schreck's blast in 7th beats Prairie Hawks

IOWA CITY -- When Cedar Rapids Prairie baseball coach Matt Thede talks about his team, he often mentions the negative tradition they have. “Were battling more than an opposing team, we are battling some tradition that’s been with the program quite some time and that hurts us,” said Thede.

The Prairie Hawks were one out away from putting a dent in that tradition Friday night, but Iowa City West’s Connor Schreck had other plans.

With the score 10-8 in the bottom of the seventh inning and two outs, Schreck blasted a three-run walk off home run over the right field fence to give the Trojans an 11-10 win at the Iowa City West baseball field.

Prairie (10-12 6-8) was in the lead nearly the entire game, and saw its potential win get smacked away with one swing of the bat.  “It didn’t feel very good,” said Thede.

Schreck’s heroics came after Prairie had taken a two-run lead in the top of the seventh.

With the bases loaded and one out, Prairie’s Ty Mougin hit an easy double play ball to the shortstop, but the second baseman’s throw over to first was errant, and two Prairie runners crossed homeplate, pushing Prairie out in front 10-8.