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Green and state gold: Cedar Rapids Kennedy captures 4A state baseball title with 7-3 win over West Des Moines Dowling
Cougars win 2nd state title and first since 2010
Jul. 27, 2024 3:59 am, Updated: Jul. 27, 2024 8:29 am
CEDAR RAPIDS — Colton Duerling tossed his glove into the air, jumped up and pumped his arm to the deafening Cedar Rapids Kennedy crowd.
Then came the rush of teammates that squashed him at the bottom of a dogpile, consisting of no fewer than 20 players in the middle of the infield.
“I was getting crushed a little bit,” Duerling said with a laugh. “It was crazy. I wanted everyone to get up real quick but we were there for a while. I enjoyed it.”
Duerling earned his second straight victory, tossing a complete game and helping the top-ranked Cougars post a 7-3 victory over No. 7 West Des Moines Dowling for the Class 4A state baseball title Friday night at Veterans Memorial Stadium. Kennedy claimed its second state baseball crown and first since 2010.
“The greatest moment of my life,” Kennedy senior Nolan Grawe said. “That was absolutely insane.”
Grawe, the third baseman, avoided the initial heap of Cougars and joined in the celebratory scrum.
“I was staying up top,” Grawe said. “I didn’t want to get hurt or anything. I jumped on. It was a great time.”
This feat was at least a year in the making. Kennedy had this in its sights since a disappointing loss in a substate final that ended the 2023 campaign. The Cougars (36-4) were determined to be in this position and reaped the rewards of their efforts.
“It felt amazing,” Kennedy’s Jace Scott said. “I’ve seen this team fall short the last two years. We’ve been one game away from making it to state. Our one goal in mind this year in our last run as seniors.
“To get to this point, we put it all into the offseason. We worked hard every single day. It felt amazing to see it all pay off.”
Kennedy Coach Bret Hoyer smiled from ear to ear. The focus was to be the most improved team from the start of substate through the season’s finale. Hoyer said he’s happy for everyone in the program.
“I’m proud of my players, the seniors and my assistant coaches for the job they’ve done all year long,” Hoyer said. “A lot of things going on behind the scenes that people have no idea that have been amazing. That’s why we’re where we are.”
Duerling took the mound for the second straight game. He closed Thursday’s thriller over Johnston to advance to the final and got the call again. Duerling was ready and willing do whatever the coaches needed and Hoyer had his mind made up when the semifinal ended.
“We knew right from the get-go,” Hoyer said. “He fully expected that. He wanted the ball. He felt better than he has in his life today after warm-ups.”
Duerling produced a six-hitter, allowing two unearned runs. He induced 11 flyouts in the deep and spacious park, including the game-ending out caught by left fielder Owen Hutchison.
“I was just hitting the mitt and letting my teammates work,” Duerling said. “I walked (two) and my defense did it all. They’re amazing.”
Kennedy’s vaunted offense leads the state in numerous categories. The Cougars have battered opposing pitchers. They faced a challenge against the Maroons’ Trever Baumler, a highly-touted right hander signed with Texas Christian University.
Kennedy’s bats responded with eight hits off Baumler in five innings, getting two each from Duerling, Scott and Hutchison.
All the runs needed came before Dowling even got on the board and the Cougars took control, breaking the scoreless tie in the third.
Scott singled to lead off the bottom of the third. He moved to second on a groundout and scored on Grawe’s base hit. Grawe moved to second on the throw home. Matt Stoltenberg followed with a hard shot off the first baseman that ricocheted into the bullpen, chasing home Grawe for a 2-0 lead.
“Those first runs are big, especially against a guy of Baumler’s caliber,” Grawe said. “It was great to get ahead early and Colton kept throwing strikes and getting us outs. It was great.”
Kennedy pulled away with a three-run fourth. Jacob Doyle walked and Scott added his second hit. Hutchison’s single to left drove in Doyle. Ty Donels, who hit a solo home run for a walk-off win over Johnston on Thursday, put down a sacrifice bunt. When the throw skipped into right field, Scott and Hutchison scored to make it 5-0.
The bottom third of Kennedy’s lineup — Doyle, Scott and Hutchison — provided four hits with two RBIs and combined for four runs.
“A lot of teams try to sleep on bottom guys in the lineup,” Scott said. “Not this team. We go up there with the mindset we’re as good as anyone. Our goal is to help the team out and produce. We were able to do that tonight.”
Dowling (25-16) used a couple singles, a walk and a Kennedy throwing error to get on the board. Joey Nahas’ sacrifice fly knocked in Nick Frerichs to pull within three.
Kennedy added two more in the fifth, including an RBI single from Hutchison. Dowling closed the scoring in the sixth on an RBI double from Dylan Webb.
Dowling went down with just a two-out walk in the seventh. Kennedy is the first Mississippi Valley Conference team to win a 4A state baseball title since Cedar Rapids Prairie in 2016. The Cougars also set a program record for wins in a season.
Grawe said this team had a few hiccups throughout the special season and was destined to finish on top.
“We just kept getting wins,” Grawe said. “We knew our goal was to get this trophy. We got it.”
Cedar Rapids Kennedy 7, West Des Moines Dowling 3
CLASS 4A CHAMPIONSHIP
W.D.M. Dowling 000-021-0 -- 3-6-3
C.R. Kennedy 002-320-x -- 7-8-1
Trever Baumler, Jack Clendenin (6) and Matt Hanten. Colton Duerling and Trevor Scott. W - Duerling (7-1). L - Baumler (6-3). 2B - WDMD: Dylan Webb.
Comments: kj.pilcher@thegazette.com
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