Summers pitches Burlington past Jefferson

CEDAR RAPIDS - Fear the beard.

Landon Summers isn't sporting one anywhere close in length, fullness or outlandeshnesss to Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Brian Wilson. But the facial hair growth the Burlington senior does have apparently continues to aid his pitching.

'I've been growing it out ever since my first win this season,” said Summers, who was the main man in his team's 5-1 win over Cedar Rapids Jefferson in a Class 4A substate semifinal Monday night at Veterans Memorial Stadium. 'I haven't trimmed it. I've cleaned it up, but I haven't trimmed it. That's a little good-luck charm I've got going right now.”

Summers improved to 7-0 with a neat little four-hitter. He wasn't at all overpowering, but poured strikes and let his defense take care of the rest.

Time after time after time, Jefferson (24-15) hit routine flyballs. Some of them may have caused more damage at a typical high-school diamond, but not in this ballpark.

'We hit the ball hard, but it was just right at people,” said Jefferson's Marcus Colbert. 'That's going to happen from time to time. We've been hitting it well the last two weeks, I think. Getting a lot of hits. It was just a matter of balls falling, really. I feel like if the ball fell for us a few more times, we would have had more runs.”

Burlington (22-15) scored twice in the top of the first inning, with an early lead always so vital in big games. The Grayhounds play at Iowa City West (31-9) in a 4A substate final Wednesday night.

Jefferson's only run came in the third on a Colbert two-out RBI single.

'I came out a little nervous, but I had great offense and defense behind me,” said Summers, who walked one and struck out two. 'That was a big confidence booster for me.”

Jefferson (24-15) started freshman Sam Meyers on the mound, but he got only one out before giving way to eighth-grader Connor Van Scoyoc. He pitched into the sixth before giving way to grizzled veteran Jared Eivins, a sophomore.

'I know the walks and errors killed us as much as anything,” said Jefferson Coach Kyle Rodenkirk. 'But I tell you what, for a an eighth-grader, a freshman and a sophomore out there pitching for us, there are some good things to come. I thought they showed pretty good composure out there, being as young as they are. I'm excited for the future. The seniors really kind of molded the way, the direction this program needs to take. I'm just really excited to get back onto the field.”

Jefferson doubled its win total from 2013, Rodenkirk's first season.

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