Kennedy ruins Lombardi baseball debut at Wash

MARION - Tony Lombardi coached at Linn-Mar on Monday night, but it wasn't on the football field.

The Cedar Rapids Washington football coach was found on the baseball diamond, leading the Warrior baseball team in his first game as head coach. He said football and baseball aren't all that different.

“All sports are about mental toughness,” Lombardi said. “In football it's aggression, but in baseball it's the opposite - it's discipline.”

The Warriors struggled to maintain discipline, committing seven errors in a 4-0 loss to Class 4A No. 1 Kennedy in the first round of the Bob Vrbicek Metro Baseball Tournament. The Cougars rallied behind those errors and the strong arm of Alex Hayden.

Hayden pitched 6 1/3 shutout innings, striking out 14 Warriors. He also had a no-hitter going into the fifth inning until a double by Warriors shortstop Noah Dostel in the sixth. That hit would be the only one surrendered by the senior.

Warriors starter Grant Dostal provided a strong game as well. Dostal pitched the complete, seven-inning game, striking out five and giving up just two hits. The Cougars earned just one of their four runs because of the Warriors' poor defense.

“I just tried to pound the ball low in the zone and force some groundballs,” Dostal said.

With his first baseball game complete, Lombardi said the sky is the limit for his team.

“I'm just excited to play the rest of the season now,” he said.

As the opener was a pitcher's dual, the nightcap was the opposite. Linn-Mar's bats came out hot to start its season as the Lions hit their way past Jefferson, 15-2, in five innings.

Linn-Mar used an 11-run first inning to take control of the game, led by a pair of Michael Redman doubles. The Lions will face Kennedy in the semifinals Tuesday at Linn-Mar at 7.