9-run 2nd inning lifts Kennedy back to state baseball tourney

CEDAR RAPIDS - David Yancey went Yahtzee. So did Griffin Michael and Cody Bell. All in the second inning.

What a hitting display last night for Cedar Rapids Kennedy as it earned the right to defend its Class 4A state baseball championship with a 15-3 substate final drubbing of Dubuque Hempstead before about 650 fans at what is affectionately termed Cougar Park. You hit three home runs and score nine runs in an inning, and that's special.

About as special as what this team has accomplished the last two seasons.

“We knew coming in this year that we had a lot of guys who could hit,” said Kennedy shortstop Griffin Michael. “It just showed that inning. We were looking for good pitches. We knew they were going to pitch us away, so we were just trying to drive the ball to right-center. Which, for the most part that second inning, we did. We just did a great job.”

A great, great job. Hempstead (21-19) apparently got Kennedy's attention by scoring twice in the bottom of the first (Hempstead won the coin flip for home team) against Cougars ace Austin Christensen.

The top of the second started double, homer, homer, single, walk, double, single, single, home run, walk. Every hit was legit, either a line drive or a long drive.

Hempstead starter Aaron Collins had no pitch in his arsenal to get any Kennedy hitter out. The perfect response to getting behind.

“We knew we had to hit the ball,” Bell said. “We knew two runs wasn't going to win it. We got some pitches that we were able to handle, and we were able to hit them pretty hard.”

“The kids were real dialed in,” said Kennedy Coach Bret Hoyer. “Saw the ball real well, executed our game plan. It was good to see.”

Kennedy (31-8) is the No. 2 seed at next week's 4A state tourney, drawing Fort Dodge (29-12) in a quarterfinal Wednesday night at 6. This group looks well prepared for a repeat.

They finished with 18 hits, with Christensen and Bell adding home runs in the seventh. Bell drove in five. Christensen's 42nd-career blast tied him with older brother Chad for the most in Metro history.

“I could sense we were a little tense (early),” Hoyer said.

The Cougars even nailed their postgame celebration. Ever the perfectionist, Hoyer had them work on it at the conclusion of Tuesday night's practice.

After a strikeout ended the game, Kennedy players mobbed each other to the right of the mound and fell over into a dog pile in unison.

“Actually it was on the right side of the mound when we practiced it yesterday,” Hoyer said with a smile. “Nobody got hurt, so they did a good job.”

Here is a short video interview with Bell:

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