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Waterloo Columbus falls in first state baseball title game
DES MOINES – Waterloo Columbus' first state baseball championship game ended much quicker than expected.
After not converting with the bases loaded in the first inning, Clear Lake scored five runs in the second and piled on six in the third for an 11-1, five-inning victory.
It's the Lions' second championship in three seasons, having won the Class 3A title in 2013.
'They definitely came out of the gates stronger than we did and we could just never recover after that,” Columbus' Francis Hart said. 'They were able to keep their foot on the gas and never give us a chance to come back.”
Columbus got to the championship by knocking off No. 1 Cascade, but couldn't keep the momentum going.
'(Clear Lake) has some good hitters,” Columbus coach Don Spore said. 'I thought they were every bit as good as Cascade. We just didn't play as well as we did against Cascade.”
Clear Lake (30-11) outscored its three state tournament opponents 36-2. Columbus ends the season at 32-6.
Cascade's Derek Lieurance (7) waits for the ball as Waterloo Columbus' Greg Glass (22) slides into second base during the seventh inning of their Class 2A Semifinal game at the 2015 High School State Baseball Championships at Principal Park in Des Moines on Thursday, July 30, 2015. (Stephen Mally/The Gazette)
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