Xavier Softball

Sampson shines at shortstop for Saints, but she'll run track in college

Tyler Sampson likes softball and is an outstanding shortstop for Xavier High School, but her days on the softball diamond are starting to dwindle away.

Sampson has accepted a scholarship to run track at Western Illinois University, so her softball career will end in July with the end of the high school season.

She'll report to college in Macomb, Ill., in August and specialize in the sprints at Western Illinois.

"I just like running," Sampson said Tuesday after the Saints split a Mississippi Valley Conference doubleheader with Iowa City High at Bob Erusha Field. "I like the school, it's a good distance from home, and they have my major and everything."

The Saints (9-4, 8-4) and Little Hawks (6-9, 5-5) played two tight games. Xavier won the opener, 3-1, and Iowa City High grabbed the nightcap, 3-2, in 10 innings.

Sampson plans to major in physical education at Western Illinois, which makes sense. She's been a four-sport athlete at Xavier and won 15 varsity letters in volleyball, basketball, track and softball.

Sampson was named Xavier's Female Athlete of the Year and was honored at the 11th Annual Celebration of Sports banquet at the Clarion Hotel Sunday evening.

Sampson is hitting .511 for Xavier with 4 homers and 19 RBIs in 13 games. She excelled at shortstop Tuesday night, showing good quickness, footwork, range and a strong, accurate arm.

As a four-sport athlete, she was never able to concentrate on softball for extended periods of time. The track and softball seasons overlap in May, so preseason practice was limited.

"I'll do a little bit of hitting, but as far as fielding I have to wait until state track is over," she said.

Sampson had little rest this season with volleyball, basketball, track and softball.

"I like all of them, but I think I've had the most success in track," she said. "I just like it. Track and softball are my two favorites."

Sampson placed in several events at the Drake Relays and state track meets, both in individual races and relays.

Sampson said she had offers to play softball in college and considered the possibility of track and/or softball at the University of Northern Iowa, but said Western Illinois made a "good offer" and she decided to join the Leathernecks.

She said she'll probably play intramural softball at Western Illinois, but nothing formal. Her softball career is ending. "Yeah, I'm going to miss it a lot," she said.

Sampson had an RBI single to help Xavier win the first game. Jacey Wiebold pitched a 3-hitter for the Saints and went the distance.

Xavier had several chances to win the nightcap, but the Saints left runners in scoring position in eight out of 10 innings and left a total of 14 runners on base.

Erin Drahozal, who just graduated from the eighth grade, hit a solo home run and pitched all 10 innings for the Saints in the nightcap. Audrey Richards went 3-for-5 for Xavier and Kristen Winter was 2-for-3.

Erin Weno pitched a complete game for City High in the nightcap with 10 strikeouts.

Game 1

IOWA CITY HIGH (1)

Hightshoe, ss, 3 0 1 0, Dailey, cf, 1 0 0 0, Weno, 3b, 3 0 0 0, Burian, c, 2 0 0 0, Plock, cr, 0 0 0 0, Koenig, dp, 3 0 0 0, Wilburn, rf, 3 1 1 0, Yoder, lf, 3 0 0 0, Duthie, 1b, 3 0 1 0, Sara Blowers, 2b, 2 0 0 1, Heath, ph, 1 0 0 0, Heise, p, 0 0 0 0. Totals 24 1 3 1.

XAVIER (3)

Colston, rf, 3 1 1 0, Kuba-Tresnak, cf, 2 1 0 0, Bedard, 3b, 3 0 0 0, Winter, 2b, 3 0 1 0, Sampson, ss, 3 0 1 1, Schulte, 1b, 2 0 0 0, Walton, c, 3 0 1 0, Schwach, cr, 0 1 0 0, Deutmeyer, dp, 2 0 1 0, Galligan, lf, 1 0 0 0, Wiebold, p, 0 0 0 0. Totals 22 3 5 1.

Iowa City High   000 010 0 - 1 3 1
Xavier           200 100 x - 3 5 1

Heise and Burian. Wiebold and Walton. W - Wiebold. L - Heise. SB - Plock, Schwach.

Game 2

IOWA CITY HIGH (3)

Hightshoe, ss, 4 1 2 0, Dailey, cf, 2 1 1 0, Weno, p, 5 0 2 1, Plock, cr, 0 1 0 0, Burian, c, 4 0 2 0, Young, cr, 0 0 0 0, Koenig, rf, 5 0 3 2, Harney, pr, 0 0 0 0, Sam Blowers, 3b, 5 0 0 0, Sara Blowers, 2b, 4 0 0 0, Yoder, lf, 3 0 0 0, Koepnick, ph, 1 0 0 0, Heath, dp, 4 0 0 0, Duthie, 1b, 0 0 0 0. Totals 37 3 10 3.

XAVIER (2)

Colston, rf, 5 0 1 0, Bedard, 3b, 3 0 1 0, Winter, 2b, 3 0 2 0, Christensen, pr, 0 0 0 0, Sampson, ss, 4 0 1 0, Kuba-Tresnak, cf, 3 0 0 0, Walton, ph, 1 0 0 0, Drahozal, p, 5 1 1 1, Richards, dp, 5 1 3 0, Schulte, 1b, 2 0 0 0, Ireland, lf, 4 0 1 1, Miller, c, 0 0 0 0. Totals 35 2 10 2.

Iowa City High    200 000 000 1 - 3 10 1
Xavier            000 200 000 0 - 2 10 1

Weno and Burian. Drahozal and Miller. W - Weno. L - Drahozal. 2B - Weno, Winter. HR - Drahozal. SB - Hightshoe 2, Plock, Young.

Saints sweep No.12 Hempstead in tight games

The Dubuque Hempstead softball team arrived in Cedar Rapids Monday with a sparkling 13-0 record and the No.12 spot in the new IGHSAU softball rankings.

The Mustangs (13-2, 8-2) went home with a headache.

The Xavier Saints (8-3, 7-3) swept Hempstead, 2-1 and 7-6, in a pair of Mississippi Valley Conference squeakers at the Xavier field.

Emily Walton drove in the winning run for Xavier in the first game with a fifth-inning double. Tyler Sampson hit a home run for the Saints (8-3, 7-3) in the second inning.

Abby Bedard went 3-for-4 and drove in a run in the second game for Xavier. Sydney Galligan was 2-for-3 with an RBI.

Game 1

HEMPSTEAD (6)

Hovind 2 2 1 0, Grutz 4 1 2 0, Hailey Koerperich 4 1 2 0, Gronen 4 1 1 0, Reidl 3 0 2 0, Hope Koerperich 3 0 0 0, Kelleher 4 1 2 0, Albrecht 4 0 1 0, Thein 0 0 0 0. Totals 32 6 11.

XAVIER (7)

Colston, rf, 3 0 0 0, Kuba-Tresnak, cf, 1 2 0 0, Bedard, 3b, 4 1 3 1, Winter, 2b, 4 1 1 2, Sampson, ss, 4 1 2 2, Schulte, 1b, 4 1 0 0, Walton, c, 4 0 1 0, Drahozal, p, 3 0 1 2, Christensen, pr, 0 0 0 0, Galligan, dp, 3 1 2 0, Ireland, lf, 0 0 0 0. Totals 30 7 10 7.

W - Drahozal. 2B - Grutz, Reidl, Bedard, Winter, Sampson. SB - Hovind, Colston, Kuba-Tresnak, Schulte, Drahozal.

Game 2

HEMPSTEAD (1)

Hovind, rf, 4 1 1 0, Grutz, 2b, 4 0 1 0, Hailey Koerperich, cf, 2 0 0 0, Hannah Koerperich, p, 3 0 2 0, Gronen, ss, 3 0 1 0, Reidl, 3b, 2 0 0 0, Hope Koerperich, c, 2 0 0 0, Thein, 1b, 2 0 0 0, Albrecht, dp, 3 0 0 0, Kramer, 3b, 0 0 0 0. Totals 25 1 5.

XAVIER (2)

Colston, rf, 2 0 0 0, Kuba-Tresnak, cf, 3 0 0 0, Bedard, 3b, 3 0 1 0, Winter, 2b, 3 0 0 0, Sampson, ss, 2 1 1 1, Schulte, 1b, 1 0 0 0, Walton, c, 1 0 1 0, Schwach, pr, 0 1 0 0, Deutmeyer, dp, 2 0 0 0, Galligan, lf, 2 0 1 0, Wiebold, p, 0 0 0 0. Totals 19 2 4 1.

Hannah Koerperich and Hope Koerperich. Wiebold and Walton. W - Wiebold. L - Koerperich. 2B - Walton. HR - Sampson.

Saints swept by Jefferson

Kenna Fry's grand slam erased a three-run deficit and lifted No. 9 Jefferson past No. 12 Xavier, 12-10, Tuesday and to a sweep of a Mississippi Valley Conference softball doubleheader.

The J-Hawks won the opener, 6-2.

Rachel Sedlacek slugged home runs in both games for Jefferson (7-1, 4-0). Both were three-run shots and the second gave the J-Hawks a 7-6 lead in the fourth inning of the nightcap.

“I just try to hit it where it’s pitched,” said Sedlacek, who was 5-for-9 with 7 RBIs in the twinbill. “I saw good pitches and did what I could. It worked out well tonight.”

Xavier (6-3, 5-3) came back and reclaimed the lead, 10-7, with four runs in the bottom of the fourth.

But the J-Hawks weren't done, battling back again in the top of the sixth inning. A hit batsman, error and walk loaded the bases for Fry, who capped a night full of big hits with a grand slam.

“It was right down the middle and I just drove it up the middle,” said Fry, who was 2-for-4 with five RBIs in the nightcap.

Jefferson added another run in the seventh and Hannah Petersen shut down the Saints to cement her second win of the night.

“The defense made some good plays and helped me out," said Petersen, who pitched a complete game three-hitter in the opener and three-plus innings in the nightcap.

“It was a big win for us,” Jefferson Coach Larry Niemeyer said. “They went up three and I thought it would be hard to come back, but the kids did it.”

Jefferson was the beneficiary of some leaky Xavier defense in the opener. The J-Hawks scored two runs in the second inning on three straight Saints errors and added another in the fifth with the aid of two Xavier errors. Sedlacek belted a three-run blast in the sixth.

“Jefferson hit the ball well, they always do and Petersen pitched well,” Xavier Coach Brian Erbe said. “As good as they are, we can’t give them that many extra outs.”

Sydney Galligan had an RBI single and Kristen Winter a solo home run for the Saints in the opener. Eighth grader Erin Drahozal hit a three-run home run and Jenna Schulte had a two-run double for Xavier in the nightcap.

GAME 1

JEFFERSON (6)
Rachel Sedlacek, LF, 4 2 1 3, Amber Grimm, RF, 4 0 1 0, Hannah Petersen 4 0 0 1, Hannah Towns, PR, 0 0 0 0, Kenna Fry, 1B, 4 0 0 0, Dani Stromert, 1B, 0 0 0 0, Maddie Koolbeck, DP, 4 0 1 0, Carson Burgart, SS, 4 0 1 0, Kaitlyn Davidson, 2B, 1 1 0 0, Maddy Blietz, 3B, 3 2 1 0, Nicole Marquart, C, 3 0 0 0, Katelyn Holub, PR, 0 1 0 0, Ashley Madsen, CF, 0 0 0 0. Totals 30 6 5 4.

XAVIER (2)
Courtney Colston, RF, 2 0 0 0, Kelsey Kuba-Tresnak, CF, 3 0 0 0, Abby Bedard, 3B, 3 0 0 0, Kristen Winter, 2B, 3 1 1 1, Tyler Sampson, SS, 3 0 0 0, Jenna Schulte, 1B, 2 1 0 0, Emily Walton, C, 2 0 1 0, Allison Schwach, PR, 0 0 0 0, Haley Deutmeyer, DP, 3 0 0 0, Sydney Galligan, LF, 3 0 1 1, Jacey Wiebold, P, 0 0 0 0. Totals 24 2 3 2.

Jefferson  020 013 0 --  6 5 4
Xavier      000 011 0 --   2 3 6

Petersen and Marquart. Wiebold and Walton. W – Petersen. L – Wiebold. 2B – Walton HR – Sedlacek, Winter. SB – Sedlacek, Deutmeyer.

GAME 2

JEFFERSON (12)
Rachel Sedlacek, LF, 5 3 4 4, Kailey Drake, CF, 3 2 1 1, Amber Grimm, RF, 4 1 0 0, Ashley Madsen, CF, 0 0 0 0, Kenna Fry, 1B, 4 1 2 5, Maddie Koolbeck, DP, 3 0 2 1, Carson Burgart, SS, 3 0 0 0, Kaitlyn Davidson, 2B, 1 1 0 0, Maddy Blietz, 3B, 3 2 2 0, Brooke Stauffer, P, 2 0 1 1, Katelyn Holub, PR, 0 2 0 0, Hannah Petersen, P, 0 0 0 0, Nicole Marquart, C, 0 0 0 0. Totals 30 12 12 12.

XAVIER (10)
Courtney Colston, RF, 3 1 1 0, Kelsey Kuba-Tresnak, CF, 4 1 0 0, Abby Bedard, 3B, 4 0 1 1, Kristen Winter, 2B, 2 1 0 0, Tyler Sampson, SS, 3 2 1 1, Jenna Schulte, 1B, 3 1 1 3, Audrey Richards, DP, 4 1 1 2, Erin Drahazol 4 1 1 3, Sydney Galligan 4 1 1 0, Erica Miller, C, 0 0 0 0, Allison Schwach, PR, 0 1 0 0. Totals 31 10 7 10.

Jefferson   102 404 1 --  12 12 2
Xavier       600 400 0 --  10   7 0

Stauffer, Petersen (4) and Marquart. Drahozal and Miller. W – Petersen. L – Drahozal. 2B – Drake, Koolbeck, Blietz, Schulte, Galligan HR – Sedlacek, Fry, Drahozal SB – Colston.

Saints split with Iowa City West

Eighth-grader Erin Drahozal scattered seven hits in a shutout effort and senior teammate Kristen Winter belted a two-run home run to lead No. 12 Xavier to a 3-0 win over Iowa City West and a split of their Mississippi Valley Conference doubleheader Tuesday at Xavier.

Iowa City West won the opener, 6-3.

Kelsey Kuba-Tresnak's home run in the bottom of the first staked the Saints to a 1-0 lead in the nightcap. Winter followed with her two-run blast a couple of batters later.

Xavier (4-1, 1-1 MVC) batters struck out 24 times in the doubleheader.

Saints senior Tyler Sampson had five hits and stole two bases in the doubleheader.