Cedar Rapids Kennedy, Western Dubuque split doubleheader between highly-ranked baseball teams

CEDAR RAPIDS – On paper, Tuesday’s baseball doubleheader between Cedar Rapids Kennedy and Western Dubuque promised to be highly competitive.

The Cougars were unbeaten and ascended to No. 2 in the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association Class 4A poll. The two-time defending 3A state champion Bobcats sit atop the 3A rankings. No surprise that each came away with a win, but it may not have transpired as expected.

Western Dubuque took advantage of some miscues in a back-and-forth affair and scored six in the top of the seventh for a 13-8 win in the opener. Kennedy rebounded in the nightcap, posting a 14-run fourth inning for an 18-3 win and Mississippi Valley Conference Valley Division doubleheader split Tuesday night at Herkelman Field.

“We’re still developing,” Western Dubuque Casey Bryant said. “We’re still trying to figure out a few things as far as moving guys around a little bit. I like the group that we have. There’s a lot of potential here.”

Kennedy Coach Bret Hoyer said he was proud of the senior leadership to battle back in Game 2.

“It showed me what I knew about this crew all along,” Hoyer said. “These seniors would bounce back. I’m not surprised in the slightest. They are a great group of kids. Very mature.”

The Cougars (12-1, 9-1 MVC) built 4-0 leads with the Bobcats pulling within one when the fireworks exploded in each contest.

In the opener, Jonah Markham helped Western Dubuque take its first lead. He had a two-run single in the three-run third and added a two-run double that scored Hunter Quagliano and Collin Coyle in the four-run fourth for a 7-4 edge.

The top half of the order scored all but one run. Brett Harris and Quagliano led the way with three runs. Markham, who hits seventh in the order, drove in a team-high five runs. Bryant wasn’t surprised by Markham’s production.

“He’s had some great at-bats,” Bryant said. “He’s had some tough luck, hitting them right at people. He’s one of our leaders with quality at-bats. He always puts the ball in play, moves guys around and sprays it all over.

“We like Jonah. He’s going to have a big senior year for us. He stepped up and had some big hits. It helped us get the win in the first game.”

Kennedy worked back in front with a three-run fifth highlighted by Owen Anderson’s two-run home run, tying the game. Ty Donels was plunked to lead off the bottom of the sixth. Nolan Grawe’s single and a walk to Jacob Doyle loaded the bases with one out. Colton Duerling’s groundout chased home Donels for an 8-7 lead.

The Bobcats (5-2, 3-1) sent 11 batters to the plate in the seventh, scoring six runs on one hit, three walks, two hit batsmen and capitalizing on two Kennedy errors. Coyle had a two-run single to break things open.

“We have tough kids,” Bryant said. “There’s no quit in them.”

Pitching and defense have been areas of concern in a strong start to the season. As good as the Cougars’ high-powered offense was at times, it wasn’t enough to overcome four errors, six walks and two hit batsmen.

“Things got away from us in the first game,” Hoyer said. “You saw the problems we have. We’ll keep working and hopefully we’ll get better with our pitching and defense. Maybe we’ll contend for a conference title or something.”

Kennedy regrouped for a big win in Game 2. Earning the split displayed the Cougars’ mettle.

“As disappointing as that was, we bounced back in the second game against the No. 1 ranked team in the state,” Hoyer said. “Two-time defending state champs and you can see why. They are very well coached and disciplined. They know how to play the game. They are really tough.”

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The Cougars took an early advantage with Colton Duerling’s two-run triple in the first to bring in Donels and Grant Mather. Lincoln Meyers’ sacrifice fly plated Mather and Doyle scored on Matt Stoltenberg’s single in the third.

Déjà vu surfaced in the top of the fourth. Quagliano, Coyle and Colin McDermott started the inning with three straight singles. A wild pitch, Tanner Anderson’s RBI groundout and Clayten Lindecker’s run-scoring single pulled Western Dubuque within one – just like the first game.

Kennedy erupted for 14 runs to enact the mercy rule, sending 16 batters to the plate. Six Cougars scored twice in the bottom of the fourth. Donels was hit by a pitch and scored on Grawe’s single to spark the outburst. Doyle had an RBI single and Meyers added a two-run base hit. Mather crushed a grand slam for his state-leading eighth home run of the season.

Kennedy collected eight walks and hit batsmen.

“We’ve had some innings where we put some healthy numbers up,” Hoyer said. “That was one of those again.”

Western Dubuque hosts Independence Wednesday in Farley. Kennedy plays No. 9 Linn-Mar at Oak Ridge Middle School on Friday.

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Photos: Western Dubuque at Cedar Rapids Kennedy baseball

Comments: kj.pilcher@thegazette.com