C.R. Kennedy beats Solon in 9 innings, 5-4

CEDAR RAPIDS - Hey, what'd you expect from two of the best teams in the state?

Griffin Michael lined a one-out single into right-center field in the bottom of the ninth inning to score pinch runner Alex Hayden from second base with the winning run as Cedar Rapids Kennedy beat Solon, 5-4, in a prep baseball thriller last night at Kennedy.

This dream matchup of defending state champions (Kennedy 4A and Solon 2A) with just about everyone returning was everything it was made out to be going in. Kennedy (29-8) came in ranked seventh in Class 4A, Solon (31-4) number one in 3A.

“They're a good team. We knew that coming in,” Michael said. “We were expecting a battle, and they gave us one. It was good to get out of here with a win.”

“We go away from this game feeling pretty good,” said Solon Coach Keith McSweeney. “About the fact that we got better tonight. I'm sure Coach feels the same way over there in their dugout.”

Kennedy threw its ace pitcher, Austin Christensen, while Solon ace Brandon Shulista is out with a mild case of tendinitis in his arm. It was the 501st career victory for Kennedy Coach Bret Hoyer, who won his 500th Friday night at Waterloo West, as the Cougars clinched a Mississippi Valley Conference division title.

Terrell Sykes walked against Solon reliever Marshall Koehn leading off the Kennedy ninth. A wild pitch sent him to second, where he was pinch run for.

Christensen was intentionally walked, but Devon Jacobus struck out after failing to lay down a sacrifice bunt. Michael bailed him out, lining a 3-1 Koehn fastball for a clean hit.

“I was just focusing on hitting the fastball and laying off any curveballs until there were two strikes,” said Michael. “I got a fastball, and I was able to hit it over the second baseman's head.”

Kennedy delivered the first blow in this battle of heavyweights. Christensen singled through the second-base hole leading off the fourth, then with two outs, David Yancey launched the first pitch he saw from Solon starter Ryan Butler over the fence in center field for a two-run home run.

Christensen was locked in and on cruise control on the mound, giving up only two hits and striking out eight the first five innings. But his defense let him down in the sixth, as second baseman Sykes double clutched after fielding a one-out grounder off the bat of No. 9 hitter Travis Brimeyer and airmailed a throw past first.

Koehn then blooped a single down the line in left and Nick Day smoked a ball off the center-field fence for a very long single. Brimeyer had gone back to tag up on Day's ball and was held at third, with Koehn and Day both at second at one point, before Day was able to scamper back to first.

Christensen hit Derrick Loveless in the leg with a pitch to score a run and make it a 2-1 game. Yancey was brought on to relieve him but threw back-to-back wild pitches that scored Koehn and Day for a sudden 3-2 Spartans edge.

Butler gave up a leadoff single up the middle to Christensen in the bottom of the sixth and was relieved by Day. A sacrifice bunt, fly to center, intentional walk to Yancey and wild pitch put runners on second and third with two outs.

Cody Bell fell into a two-strike hole, but punched a ball the other way to the left of second baseman Shulista, who couldn't knock it down, the two-run single putting Kennedy back up, 4-3. But errors again felled Kennedy in the seventh.

Shulista drew a leadoff walk and was pinch run for by Austin Holub. Colin Stebral laid down a two-strike sac bunt, reaching when first baseman Bell dropped the routine throw from Yancey, sending Holub all the way to third.

A passed ball moved Stebral up to second, and Austin Dall laid down a perfect suicide-squeeze bunt in front of the plate that scored Holub, with Yancey fumbling the ball as he tried to shovel it home, allowing everyone to be safe. But Yancey atoned, striking out Brimeyer and Koehn swinging and getting Day to fly out to strand the go-ahead run at third.

Kennedy had a gorgeous opportunity to win it in the bottom of the seventh. Ninth-place hitter Austin Benson walked on a close 3-2 pitch with one out and hustled to third on a groundball single up the middle by Sykes, sliding head first into the bag barely ahead of a perfect one-hop throw from Loveless, the Toronto Blue Jays draft pick.

Christensen was then intentionally walked to load the bases, with Day getting out of the jam somehow, as Jacobus popped out to first and Michael grounded into a force play to short.

Kennedy again had a chance to win in the eighth, as Yancey reached leading off on a fielding error. But Day got Benson to pop out foul to first to end the Cougars threat with runners on first and second.

Kennedy pitchers limited a potent Solon offense to just four hits.