5 area games to watch in Friday’s Iowa high school baseball substate quarterfinal round

Iowa City Liberty made its state baseball tournament debut last season.

The Lightning reached the Class 4A quarterfinals and are one of six Gazette area teams in the largest two classes seeking to return to state at the University of Iowa’s Duane Banks Field.

Liberty joins Iowa City High and Cedar Rapids Prairie in 4A and defending 3A state champion Western Dubuque and West Delaware as 2022 qualifiers that open the postseason at home Friday.

Cedar Rapids Kennedy, Linn-Mar, Marion and Cedar Rapids Xavier fill out the Metro’s first-round hosts as substate competition for 3A and 4A opens Friday.

Here’s a look at five noteworthy games.

Davenport North (20-17) at Iowa City Liberty (20-17)

Class 4A Substate 2

The third-seeded Lightning and No. 4-seed Wildcats own the same record, and both have won four of their last five games. Their statistics are nearly as close as their records. The Lightning, under first-year head coach Uby Martinez, score 5.4 runs a game, while North comes in at 5.9. The Wildcats have a slight edge in earned-run average, 4.71 to 4.76. Liberty has a substantial edge in defense, fielding at a .964 clip. The Lightning’s Mason Waterbury is 5-1 with a 2.47 ERA in seven starts, leading the team with 37 strikeouts in 34 innings. North counters with Maddux Chapman, who is 4-1 with 3.37 ERA.

Other 4A Substate 2 games: No. 6 Cedar Rapids Washington at No. 1 Cedar Rapids Prairie; No. 5 Davenport Central at No. 2 Bettendorf

Iowa City West (18-21) at Waukee Northwest (19-20)

Class 4A Substate 8

The Trojans are the No. 4 seed and travel to No. 3-seed Northwest. West has won three of its last four games. This game could come down to the Trojans’ ability to score runs and the Wolves’ pitching staff. West scores almost five runs a game, a half-run more than Northwest. Ryne Vander Leest powers the Trojans with 42 hits and is one shy of Carter Freidhof’s team-high 34 runs. Zach Logsdon has 27 RBIs to lead West, which has 248 singles out of its 294 hits. Carter Van Horn leads Northwest with 36 hits and 29 RBIs, batting .308. Northwest’s deep pitching staff has a combined ERA of 3.67. The Wolves have won four straight, including a 6-3 victory over top-ranked Ankeny Centennial in the regular-season finale.

Other 4A Substate 8 games: No. 6 Des Moines East at No. 1 Dallas Center-Grimes; No. 5 Cedar Rapids Jefferson at No. 2 Indianola

Independence (20-19) at Decorah (16-16)

Class 3A Substate 3

The Mustangs have a better record and beat Decorah in the regular season but still hit the road as the lower seed. No. 5-seed Independence topped the No. 4-seed Vikings, 3-2, a little more than two weeks ago and returns in search of a similar outcome. The Mustangs’ Mitchell Johnson tossed a complete game and struck out eight. He also drove in two runs. Johnson leads the 2022 state semifinalist with 38 hits, adding 28 runs and 27 RBIs. Teammate Korver Hupke has 34 RBIs and a .343 batting average. Kaden Alstad paces the Vikings offense. He owns a .407 batting average with 37 hits, three home runs and 28 RBIs. Both teams average just under 5 1/2 runs a game. The winner will likely getting top-ranked Western Dubuque in the district semifinals.

Other 3A Substate 3 games: No. 8 Maquoketa at No. 1 Western Dubuque; No. 6 Charles City at No. 3 Waverly-Shell Rock; No. 7 Mount Vernon at No. 2 West Delaware

Solon (21-19) at Clear Creek Amana (19-13)

Class 3A Substate 4

This might be the most compelling postseason opener in 3A and 4A. The teams split a Wamac Conference doubleheader at Solon just a week ago. Solon won 6-5 and the CCA took the nightcap, 10-7. Now, the rubber match will determine the end for one and a substate semifinal appearance for the other. Solon all-staters Brett White and Blake Timmons make a potent 1-2 punch at the top of the lineup. White has 55 hits, 59 runs, six home runs and 37 RBIs. Timmons has scored 62 runs with 47 hits and 38 stolen bases. The Clippers answer with sophomores Maclane Morgan and Kaden Phan. They have 34 hits apiece. Morgan hits at a .410 clip with a .538 on-base percentage, while Phan comes in at .374 and .422. Reece Hoffman owns a .403 batting average and .516 OBP for CCA. The Clippers’ Josh Loren and Reece Cochran combined for 11 wins and 102 strikeouts on the mound.

Other 3A Substate 4 games: No. 8 Vinton-Shellsburg at No. 1 Dubuque Wahlert; No. 6 Center Point-Urbana at No. 3 DeWitt Central; No. 7 Washington (Iowa) at No. 2 Davenport Assumption

Keokuk (8-15) at Cedar Rapids Xavier (16-19)

Class 3A Substate 5

Both teams may enter the postseason with losing records, but they are certainly not the same. The Saints endured a Mississippi Valley Conference season that included five top-seeded substate teams. Xavier is the No. 3 seed and owns victories over No. 1 seeds Marion, Dubuque Wahlert, Iowa City High and Western Dubuque. In a single-game scenario, the Saints have a chance to beat anyone and are a serious contender. Success will depend on their energy and effort. Cooper Schenk leads Xavier with 36 hits and 24 runs. Teammate Carlos Baez-Perez has emerged as an offensive threat, posting 30 hits and a team-high 23 RBIs and four home runs. Sophomore Tate Proskovec is 4-2 in eight starts, striking out 45 in 44 1/3 innings with a 1.26 ERA. Andrew Hamlett, an all-district and all-MVC performer last season, has three wins with a 3.26 ERA for Xavier. Keokuk is coming off a three-game losing streak. Blake Chase leads the Chiefs with 25 hits and 19 RBIs. Brenton Hoard has four wins and a 2.57 ERA to lead Keokuk.

Other 3A Substate 5 games: No. 8 South Tama at No. 1 Marion; No. 5 Fairfield at No. 4 Mount Pleasant; No. 7 Fort Madison at No. 2 Benton Community

Comments: kj.pilcher@thegazette.com