Iowa City Liberty drops Davenport Central, 3-2, in substate baseball semifinal

NORTH LIBERTY — Iowa City Liberty’s Cooper Hughes said he looks forward to his time in the batting cage.

He is never reluctant to take extra cuts. Hughes is eager to work on his craft, putting in the effort, learning the intricacies of hitting and continuing to improve.

“I love going to the cages,” Hughes said. “It’s probably my favorite hobby to do. Just getting better and being able to help the team on days like this. The cage is where it starts.

“My bat felt really good.”

Hughes went 3-for-3, putting runners in position to score and added a run of his own as third-seeded Iowa City Liberty defeated No. 5 seed Davenport Central, 3-2, in the Class 4A Substate 2 semifinal Monday night at Liberty High School.

The Lightning (22-17) advance to the substate final at top-seeded and No. 2-ranked Cedar Rapids Prairie (33-6) tonight.

“It’s tournament time,” Liberty first-year head coach Uby Martinez said. “There are different stakes. You’re not worried about saving anybody and things like that. It wasn’t our best, but it was a win and that’s all you can ask for.”

Hughes reaped the rewards of the added swings. The sophomore right-hander entered the game with a .271 average and had endured a 3-for-21 stretch in the Lightning’s previous six games. The Blue Devils didn’t have an answer for him.

“Coop’s been struggling lately, but he’s a kid here on the weekends hitting,” Martinez said. “I’m here working on the field and he’s in the cages, hitting on his own.”

Hughes and Luke Ramsey combined for five hits and produced the only runs Liberty needed. The duo had consecutive singles in the first and in the two-run third. Hughes may not have driven in a run, but his singles moved Ramsey to third both times, allowing him to score on a passed ball for a 1-0 lead in the first and 2-0 in the third.

Mason Gardner’s sacrifice fly scored Hughes. Jayden Khamphilanouvong added two hits for Liberty.

Hughes said he will hit with Ramsey just about every day, which helps with his connections.

“They work really hard at it,” said Martinez, noting that a move from leadoff to the No. 2 spot in the batting order has alleviated some pressure on Ramsey. “They put a lot of time into it.”

Pitching and defense were key Monday. Four Lightning pitchers combined for the victory. Nolan Sojka overcame a slow start, loading the bases in the first, and earned the win. He allowed two runs in four innings.

Kael O’Donnell, Andrew Olthoff and Owen Norris each threw a scoreless inning of relief for Liberty. Central put the tying run in scoring position in the seventh but Norris struck out the next two batters to end the game and secure the save.

Liberty had to replace 80 percent of its innings pitched from last year’s state quarterfinal team. The Lightning took some lumps. They benefited from their experience. The bullpen questions to start the season have been answered.

“Things that were our Achilles’ heel at the beginning of the year are definitely our strengths right now,” Martinez said about pitching and defense. “Kael came out of the pen. He was a starter for a little bit and found his niche in the pen. Andrew Olthoff is a sophomore and has some starts for us. We got him some innings.

“There is a lot to say for experience. It is showing right now.”

Shortstop Liam Bender and second baseman Braden O’Connor were a pitcher’s best friend in the middle innings. They combined for four plays at second, including an inning-ending double play to end a rally in Central’s two-run fourth. Bender turned a double play for the first two outs in the fifth and they combined for a crucial force out for the first out in the seventh.

“Those guys work really well together,” Martinez said. “We always say it’s the right guys. They do their job and they do it well. It’s nothing flashy. When it is hit to them, they make plays.”

Liberty reached state for the first time in school history a year ago. The Lightning are now a win away from consecutive appearances. They have a tough task, trying to reverse a 5-0 and 6-3 doubleheader sweep on June 5.

“We have to believe in ourselves and teammates,” Hughes said. “Throw strikes, hit the ball, do our jobs and all that stuff to get the job done. They’re a good team but I think we can do it.”

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