5 Gazette area Iowa high school baseball games to watch for Week 7 of 2023 season

Don Bosco and Lisbon meet in a battle of top-10 Class 1A teams. Mississippi Valley Conference divisional leaders Cedar Rapids Prairie and Western Dubuque clash and postseason games in 1A and 2A begin Saturday. Here are five notable Iowa high school baseball games in the Gazette area this week:

Tuesday: Don Bosco at Lisbon

Two of the top Class 1A teams in Eastern Iowa. No. 5 Don Bosco started this week 23-5 and leads the Iowa Star North with a 13-0 mark. No. 9 Lisbon is 19-4 and is first in the Tri-Rivers East at 10-0. This could be a prelude to a substate final. The Dons are top-seeded in District 7 and the Lions are the No. 1 seed in District 8. Both teams have been hot lately.

The Dons have won five of their last seven and 19 of 21, including an 18-7 trouncing of 1A top-ranked Mason City Newman. Lisbon has taken four of its last five and nine of 11. They have similar stat lines. Don Bosco and Lisbon are sixth and seventh, respectively, in runs per game. The Dons average 10.4 with the Lions at 10.1. Lisbon surrenders 3.1 runs per game, while Don Bosco comes in at 3.4.

Landon Frost powers the Dons with a .523 batting average, .643 on-base percentage, 45 hits and 36 RBIs. Ty Purdy is 4-1 with a 1.94 earned-run average and 61 strikeouts in 39 2/3 innings. Lisbon counters with Landon Stolte, who has 34 hits, 33 RBIs, a .479 batting average and a .530 on-base percentage. Cohen Kamaus is 6-0 with a 1.40 ERA, averaging a strikeout per inning.

Wednesday: Dyersville Beckman at Marion

These two programs have produced some dandy games, especially in recent years. This time, however, isn’t a conference contest. Beckman has moved from the Wamac to the River Valley Conference.

The Blazers have won 13 of their last 15 games, including a win over Davenport Assumption and sweep of Anamosa to lock up the RVC North. Marion is up to No. 4 in 3A, winning 12 of the last 14 games and sweeping previously-ranked Williamsburg.

Beckman has its postseason path determined. The third-ranked Blazers have a 2A first-round bye and face the winner of Bellevue Marquette and Northeast. Marion is still trying to position itself for 3A pairings that will be released later this week.

Defense and pitching still are hallmarks of the Blazers, who lead 2A with a .955 team fielding percentage and rank in the top 15 in ERA (3.16) and WHIP (1.37). Nate Offerman is 7-0 with a 0.63 ERA for Beckman. Marion averages 7.7 runs per game. Jake Miller has 34 hits and Kaden Frommelt has 29 RBIs to lead Marion.

Friday: Western Dubuque at Cedar Rapids Prairie

Two of the highest-ranked teams and top Mississippi Valley Conference teams collide. The Bobcats have been ranked No. 1 in 3A all season, coming off last season’s state title. They open the week 26-6 overall with a 17-4 record to lead the MVC Valley. Prairie is ranked second in 4A and was a state quarterfinalist a year ago. The Hawks are 27-3 overall, sitting atop the MVC Mississippi at 18-2.

Western Dubuque leads 3A in 12 categories, including team batting average (.358), runs (300), hits (316), doubles (71), triples (21) and total bases (456). Eight Bobcats have 26 or more hits and 22 or more RBIs with seven scoring at least 30 runs. Freshman Brett Harris continues the family tradition, tallying 47 hits and 35 RBIs. Isaac Then leads the Bobcats with .449 batting average. Harris and Then are the top two in innings pitched and each have four wins.

Prairie hits at a .339 clip and has 227 runs this season. Kade Knock has 49 hits and 45 runs and Maddux Frese adds 41 hits and 35 runs for Prairie. Cal Sullivan has 36 RBIs to lead the Hawks. Frese and Reid Burkle are both 5-0 and lead a staff with a team ERA of 2.35.

Saturday: Jesup vs. Monticello in Class 2A district quarterfinals at Hudson

No. 4 seed Jesup (12-8) and No. 5 Monticello (10-9) open District 8 action Saturday at Hudson. The J-Hawks score 5.4 runs per game and allow 4.7. Monticello posts similar results, tallying 5.2 a contest and giving up 4.9. They have just one common opponent — Cascade. Jesup beat the Cougars, 9-7. The Panthers split with Cascade, falling 5-0 and winning 11-5.

Senior Brevin Dahl powers the J-Hawks offense, owning a team-high 30 hits, 23 runs and .462 batting average. Dahl also leads the pitching staff with a 5-0 record and has a 1.75 ERA. Jack Miller has three wins and a 1.21 ERA.

Dylan Roher leads Monticello with 19 hits in as many games. Freshman Brady Gogel is 4-2 with a 1.69 ERA for the Panthers. The winner plays at top-seeded Anamosa in the district semifinas July 5.

Saturday: Lansing Kee vs. Turkey Valley in Class 1A district quarterfinals at South Winneshiek

Fourth-seeded Lansing Kee (14-18) will face No. 5 seed Turkey Valley (11-12) in a District 6 first-round game Saturday at Calmar. This marks their fourth meeting this season. The Hawks have won two of the three, including a 2-1 decision on June 13. They split a doubleheader in May with the Trojans winning the opener, 3-0. The Trojans’ triumph was their first over Kee since 2014. Kee has one of the most successful baseball programs in Iowa, including a state runner-up finish in 2021 for a record 17 state finals appearances. The Hawks have won nine titles.

Kee scores 4.9 runs per game, giving up 4.1. Turkey Valley scores 4.4 and allows 5.0 per game. Kee pitchers have struck out 207 and Turkey Valley batters have fanned 180 times. Putting the ball in play will be important. Noah Hanson has 19 hits and 17 runs and Caleb Kurtenbach has 12 RBIs to lead the Trojans. Cameron Lind (32 hits, 20 runs), Carter Seitz (29, 21) and Kaleb Drape (27, 19) give Kee a strong offensive trio. Drape also leads the pitching staff with four wins. The winner will face the winner of top-seeded South Winneshiek and No. 8 Clarksville in the district semifinals July 5.