After sweeping Washington to end last week, Jefferson had high hopes when it hosted Iowa City High in a Mississippi Valley Conference baseball doubleheader Monday.

But seven errors by the defense and 12 bases on balls by the pitching squashed thoughts of an early season turnaround.

City High swept the J-Hawks, 8-5 and 6-2, dropping Jefferson to 3-8 overall and 2-4 in the MVC. The Little Hawks improved to 9-4, 5-1.

"We let them have their outs and we let them have their runs," said Jefferson senior center fielder Christian Knox, who had four hits, including a solo home run. "If they're bamming the ball and we're not making errors, then hats off to them.

"We have to stop giving 'em runs. I know we can beat a lot of these teams we have lost to."

A big problem for Jefferson on Monday was playing from behind. City High scored three runs in the first inning of the opener and started the scoring with four runs in the third inning of the nightcap. The J-Hawks never got closer than two runs in either game.

"We got down tonight and it's tough," said Jefferson senior Colten Jourdan, who caught the first game and pitched the final four innings of the nightcap. "You have to come back and score some runs and when you don't, it gives the other team a chance to relax and build confidence.

"When we played Washington, we got ahead and we made good swings in 2-0 counts. Tonight we were a little quiet."

Too quiet to suit Coach Mike Kuba.

"We faced much better pitching than we did against Wash, but it was nothing that we shouldn't have been able to make things happen," he said. "We're not getting our bunts down, we're getting picked off, we're not doing the mental things that you need to do to win games.

"It's not just one guy, it's the whole team. We need to get better at the basic fundamentals because that's what is coming back to bite us."

City High, meanwhile, is off to a quick start under first-year coach Brian Mitchell.

"We set our expectations that we have to play the right way. We have to play like Pete Rose and be grittier than everybody else to win," Mitchell said. "The kids have bought in. They understand what we're telling them and we appreciate their effort."

The Little Hawks got good starting pitcher from Sam Mrstik and Mitch Wieland, who each pitched four innings. They got just enough help to get to closer Ryan Duncan, who picked up saves in each game.

"That was gutsy by him," Mitchell said.

City High junior catcher Tyler Stika was injured with two outs in the bottom of the sixth of the nightcap, when a foul tip came up under his mask and hit him in the jaw. Stika reeled around the field before he was subdued by Little Hawks coaches.

"He was out of it," Mitchell said. "I think he was knocked out for a moment."

Jefferson hosts Pleasant Valley in a non-conference game Tuesday. The JV/varsity doubleheader starts at 5 p.m.

GAME 1

IOWA CITY HIGH (8)
Jack Frakes, 2b-p-2b, 3 2 0 0, Mitch Wieland, ss-2b-3b-lf, 3 1 1 1, Josh Crosby, 1b, 4 2 3 1, Sam Mrstik, p-ss, 2 2 1 0, Jared Fountain, cr, 0 0 0 0, Ryan Duncan, cf-p, 3 1 2 0, Tyle Stika, c, 2 0 0 1, Grant Simpson, rf, 2 0 0 0, Erick Kenney, dh, 3 0 1 1, Alex Mills, lf-cf, 0 0 0 0, Mitch Hasler, 3b-p-3b, 4 0 0 0. Totals 26 8 8 4.

JEFFERSON (5)
Dylan Jellison, 2b, 3 2 1 0, Christian Knox, cf, 4 2 1 1, Jordan Dee, 1b, 4 1 2 0, Austin Goodell, rf, 4 0 2 1, Chance Tiedtke, p, 2 0 0 0, Layne Sullivan, cr-p, 0 0 0 0, Sam Techau, 3b, 4 0 1 0, Colten Jourdan, c, 4 0 0 0, Ky Kramer, ss, 1 0 0 0, Aaron Gruwell, lf, 2 0 0 0. Totals 28 5 7 2.

Iowa City High 301 031 0 -- 8 8 4
Jefferson        101 010 2 -- 5 7 3

Mrstik, Frakes (5), Hasler (7), Duncan (7) and Stika. Tiedtke, Sullivan (6) and Jourdan. W - Mrstik. L - Tiedtke. Sv - Duncan. 2B - Wieland, Crosby. HR - Knox. SB - Mrstik, Duncan, Kenney, Dee.

GAME 2

IOWA CITY HIGH (6)
Frakes, 2b-cf, 3 1 2 2, Wieland, p-rf, 3 0 2 0, Fountain, cr, 0 0 0 0, Crosby, dh-c, 3 0 1 1, Mills, lf-cf, 0 0 0 0, Mrstik, ss, 4 1 1 0, Duncan, cf-p, 3 1 1 0, Stika, c, 3 1 1 2, Parker Reineke, 3b, 1 0 0 0, Simpson, rf-p-lf, 2 1 1 1, Freeman Brenner, pr, 0 0 0 0, Kenney, 1b, 4 0 1 0, Hasler, 3b-2b, 3 1 1 0. Totals 29 6 11 6.

JEFFERSON (2)
Jellison, 2b, 3 1 0 0, Knox, cf, 4 0 3 0, Dee, 1b, 1 0 0 0, Jourdan, p, 3 0 1 1, Hunter Kloubec, cr, 0 0 0 0, Goodell, dh, 1 0 0 0, Sullivan, rf, 0 0 0 0, Tiedtke, lf, 2 0 0 0, Techau, 3b, 1 0 1 0, Ben Koering, c, 2 0 0 0, Gruwell, cr, 0 0 0 0, Kramer, ss, 3 0 0 0, Dylan Wright, p-1b, 3 1 1 0. Totals 23 2 6 1.

Iowa City High   004 000 2 --  6  11  1
Jefferson          000 020 0 --  2   6   4

Wieland, Simpson (5), Duncan (6) and Stika, Crosby (6). Wright, Jourdan (4) and Koering. W - Wieland. L - Wright. Sv - Duncan. 2B - Frakes 2, Stika, Simpson, Kenney, Techau. SB - Stika.