Metro Sports Report

Xavier wins Elite 8 Classic in Urbandale

URBANDALE - The Xavier High School softball team topped 11th-ranked Johnston, 11-8, in the championship game of the Elite 8 Classic on Saturday.

The Saints (14-5) went 4-and-0 in the two-day event. "We played pretty well this weekend," said Coach Brian Erbe.

Xavier collected 14 hits in the championship game. Kelsey Kuba-Tresnak had a three-run double in the fourth inning. Erin Drahozal was the winning pitcher.

Xavier trimmed Solon, 4-3, in the semifinals Saturday on a squeeze bunt by Tyler Sampson in the bottom of the seventh inning, scoring Sydney Galligan from third base. Emily Walton went 2-for-3 with an RBI double. Jacey Wiebold was the winning pitcher.

The Saints beat two ranked teams Saturday. Solon is ranked No.6 in the Class 3A poll and Johnston is No.11 in the 4A poll.

McNeal quiets West bats

IOWA CITY -- Iowa City West is used to putting big numbers up on the scoreboard. Xavier pitcher Ean McNeal allowed them to take a break from that Friday night.

McNeal pitched a complete game and held the potent West offense to two runs on five hits, helping Xavier to a 5-2 win in the second game of a Mississippi Valley Conference baseball doubleheader at West High School. West took the opener 10-1.

McNeal challenged the West hitters with his fastball and let his defense do the work.

“I tried mixing up my pitches a lot. I didn’t have the changeup working well so I just tried to keep the two-seam and four-seam (fastballs) down towards the knees and it worked,” said McNeal.

Both teams had pitchers who were lighting up the radar gun on West High’s scoreboard. Xavier Coach Dave Schemmel thought McNeal’s velocity was a key in the Saints' win.

“He was as aggressive a pitcher as he has been all year," Schemmel said. "Tonight he just went after them and threw a lot of hard stuff early, and they didn’t expect it. He threw harder tonight than he has all year.”

The nightcap also saw Xavier coming alive at the plate, scoring a run in each of the first four innings. In the fifth, sophomore Corbin Woods blasted a solo home run over the right field wall, making the score 5-2. Blake Helms had three hits and an RBI and Alex Ries added two RBIs for the Saints.

Carlson is 'Iron Hawk' in Prairie sweep

Dustin Carlson probably didn't need any lullabies to fall asleep Friday night after Cedar Rapids Prairie swept a doubleheader from the Linn-Mar Lions at Prairie.

Carlson pitched the first five innings of the opener, then caught the final two frames as the Hawks collected a 5-4 victory.

He took some nourishment between games of the twinbill, then caught all seven innings of the nightcap as the Hawks posted an 8-7 victory in a sloppy affair.

All that came 24 hours after he caught both ends of a doubleheader against Dubuque Wahlert Thursday night.

His secret?

"I guess getting a lot of sleep the next night and eating healthy," he said. "I've been doing a lot of yoga, too. It kind of helps."

Hoopsters should swim in the summer time

The summer season means summer camps. Not in the vein of going to the north woods, but going to a coach’s-for-money camp for improving your athletic ability.

It also means it’s the season for the PTL, better known as the Prime Time League, where collegians and ex-pros and players gather in North Liberty to pursue their basketball dreams. The Prime Time League also is a time for fans come to see the Hawkeyes of 2011-2012, and it’s nice to note there is more interest in the Hawks than in the last few years.

My question is, does this sort of activity - camps and summer leagues - really improve the people who are  participating in them?

It seems to me that, yes, there is a great positive out of this, but how much teaching and coaching really goes on at camp or in a league? That is a subjective topic that can’t really be identified.

But I have noted that, especially in basketball, there is a tendency for bad habits to develop in passing, shooting, screening - the little things that might make a player better that are overlooked.

Most coaches who have been around a long time will tell you that the three months of June, July and August were times for reflection and vacation. But today’s coaches are on the hunt for talent non-stop. And the summer is filled with more activities than they would have during the regular season.