Kennedy High School - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Cougars salvage split with Wahlert

The Kennedy Cougars rallied for three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning Friday night to beat Dubuque Wahlert, 11-10, in the second game of their doubleheader and salvage a split of their twinbill at Kennedy.

Wahlert took the first game, 17-12.

The split left the eighth-ranked Cougars at 21-9 overall and 12-8 in the conference. Wahlert is 16-16 overall and 11-11 in the league.

Jackson Behn went 3-for-4 with two doubles and three RBIs for Kennedy in the 17-12 loss in the opener. Tyler Dralle was 2-for-3 with three RBIs. Mitchell Gaffey and Zach Daniels had two this.

Daniels went 4-for-4 with two triples and two RBIs in the nightcap. Sammy Lizarraga was 4-for-5 with two doubles and two RBIs. Dralle and Kyle Brewer also drove in two runs. Dralle hit a home run.

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Prairie clinches tie for softball title

Gabi Carter began playing for the Cedar Rapids Prairie softball team as an eighth grader in 2011 and experienced some lean times with the Hawks before Joe Yegge became the head coach three years ago.

Now a senior, Carter can truly appreciate what it feels like to win a Mississippi Valley Conference title after those early struggles.

Prairie clinched at least a tie for the Mississippi Division crown in the Mississippi Valley Conference Tuesday night by splitting a doubleheader with the Kennedy Cougars at Kennedy.

Prairie rallied for a 6-3 victory in the opener. Kennedy cruised in the nightcap, 10-0 in six innings, behind a two-hit shutout by Andrea McEachran.

The split left Prairie with a 16-8 record in the MVC with two games left in the regular season. Waterloo West split its twinbill with Jefferson Tuesday night and finished the conference campaign with a 16-10 record.

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Konigsmark helps J-Hawks top Cougars

Tyler Konigsmark has turned his life around at Cedar Rapids Jefferson this year by buckling down in the classroom and taking care of his responsibilities on a daily basis.

As a result, he's helped the Jefferson baseball team climb to No. 2 in the Class 4A rankings and move within two victories of clinching its first Mississippi Valley Conference title in 10 years.

Konigsmark pitched five strong innings Tuesday night as the J-Hawks topped No. 8 Kennedy, 6-2, at Herkelman Field to sweep the two-game MVC series against the Cougars.

Jefferson has a two-game lead on Iowa City West in the Valley Division with four games left in the league campaign. The J-Hawks have an 18-4 record in the conference and Iowa City West is 16-6. Kennedy and Linn-Mar are still mathematically alive at 11-7, but longshots at this point.

Konigsmark, a senior, did not play varsity baseball for the J-Hawks until this year due to academic problems as a sophomore and junior. Now he's back on course and has accepted a full ride from Bossier Parish Community College in Shreveport, La.

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No. 2 J-Hawks take stride toward title

This has turned into a special year for the Cedar Rapids Jefferson baseball team and the best could be yet to come.

The J-Hawks are ranked No. 2 in Class 4A, they're close to winning their first Mississippi Valley Conference title in 10 years, and they've got an excellent shot at making the state tournament for the first time in 17 years.

Jefferson took another big step Monday night by whipping No. 8 Kennedy, 4-0, on a four-hit shutout by Spencer VanScoyoc at the Jefferson field.

The J-Hawks and Cougars meet again at approximately 7 p.m. Tuesday at Kennedy

Jefferson has a two-game lead in the loss column in the Valley Division standings with only five games left in their MVC campaign. They are 25-6 overall, 17-4 in the conference and looking good.

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Cougars suffer 'ugly' loss to Johnston

There was good news and bad news for the Kennedy High School baseball team Saturday, but the bad news was worse than the good news on the Fourth of July.

The good news came in a 6-2 victory over North Scott as Sammy Lizarraga tossed a complete game in the first contest of a holiday tournament at the Kennedy field Saturday morning.

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Linn-Mar splits with Hempstead

DUBUQUE - Adam Bradley went 3-for-4 and drove in three runs Friday as Linn-Mar topped Dubuque Hempstead, 6-2, in the second game of a Mississippi Valley Conference doubleheader in Dubuque.

Hempstead took the first game, 5-4, by scoring a run in the bottom of the seventh.

The split ended Linn-Mar's chances of claiming the No. 1 for the Class 4A substate tournament this month. Kennedy swept Waterloo West Friday and claimed the top seed in the substate.

Sam Crawford pitched six innings for Linn-Mar in the 6-2 victory. He struck out eight batters and walked two. Manny Jeffery scored two runs for the Lions.

Jeffery had two hits for Linn-Mar in the 5-4 setback. Andrew Gassmann scored twice for the Lions.

Linn-Mar is 17-9 overall and 11-7 in the conference. Hempstead is 16-12 overall and 13-7 in the league.

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Cougars clinch No.1 seed for substate

WATERLOO - The Kennedy Cougars rolled to a pair of Mississippi Valley Conference victories over Waterloo West Friday, 13-1 and 11-2, and clinched the No. 1 seed for their Class 4A substate tournament this month.

The eighth-ranked Cougars raised their records to 19-5 overall and 11-5 in the Valley Division in the conference.

Kyle Brewer went 2-for-3 with a triple and four RBIs for Kennedy in the first game. Zach Daniels was 2-for-4 with two triples and three RBIs. Sammy Lizarraga, Jacob Henry and Mitchell Gaffey also had two hits. Gaffey drove in two runs.

Blake Hargens pitched a four-hitter in the 13-1 victory, which lasted only five innings due to the 10-run mercy rule. He struck out five batters, walked none and allowed one earned run.

Tyler Dralle went 3-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs in the nightcap. Brewer belted another triple and drove in three runs. Jackson Behn had two hits. Sawyer Neuhaus pitched four innings for the victory. He allowed two earned runs with four strikeouts and one walk.

Waterloo West fell to 3-17 in the conference and 3-21 overall.

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Kennedy takes pair from Xavier

The Cedar Rapids Kennedy softball program has made great strides under Coach Dan Gratz the last two seasons and has now become a major factor in the Mississippi Valley Conference.

They showed why Thursday night.

The Cougars swept an MVC twinbill from Xavier, 3-2 and 1-0, with strong pitching, good defense and a few timely hits.

Kennedy struggled with records of 9-32, 13-27 and 13-25 in 2011, 2012 and 2013, but it's been a different story since Gratz arrived on the scene last year. The Cougars went 27-14 in 2014 and are 23-9 and counting this season.

Sophomore Jenna Schwartzhoff pitched a complete game in the 3-2 victory, then senior Andrea McEachran tossed a three-hit shutout with 11 strikeouts in the nightcap.

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No. 8 Kennedy sweeps Ankeny Centennial

The eighth-ranked Kennedy Cougars raised their record to 17-5 Tuesday night by sweeping a doubleheader from Ankeny Centennial, 10-0 and 8-3, at Herkelman Field.

The Cougars are battling Linn-Mar (16-6) for the No. 1 seed in their substate, with the final seedings to be based on games through this Saturday, July 4.

Jacob Henry twirled a four-hit shutout for Kennedy in the 10-0 victory in the first game, which ended after six innings due to the mercy rule. Henry helped his own cause by going 2-for-4 with two RBIs.

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