Iowa City West to 4A title game with 11-4 win over Johnston

 DES MOINES - You never should have looked at his numbers because they were meaningless in this situation.

Josh DeBoer is a big-game pitcher. If you doubted that, you should have seen him Friday night.

"When the bright lights are on, he steps up," Iowa City West Coach Charlie Stumpff, after DeBoer's arm and bat helped the Trojans batter defending champion Johnston, 11-4,  in a Class 4A state baseball tournament semifinal at Principal Park.

It's the first championship game appearance for West (30-15), which plays top-seeded Sioux City North (36-7) on Saturday night. First pitch is scheduled for 8, but it'll surely be later than that.

Friday night's semifinal didn't begin until 9:30 because North and Fort Dodge went nine innings in their preceding semifinal. This game ended at 11:30.

But who cares about late nights? West High is playing for the gold trophy.

"Who'd have thought that, huh?" said West outfielder Eric White. "But here we are. We've got one more to win, and then we'll be happy."

Now back to DeBoer. The lanky right-hander came into Friday night's game with a 2-5 record and 5.48 earned run average. But he's got ace-type stuff, and he displayed it against Johnston (29-14).

A fastball in the mid to high-80s was complemented by a sweeping slider that produced 14 strikeouts. DeBoer was nicked for three hits and a run in the first inning but settled in and gave up just one hit from the second through sixth innings.

Johnston got to him in the seventh for three hits and a couple of runs. But by that time, he had a nine-run lead to work with.

"Everything was working," DeBoer said. "When you have a day like that, and everybody's hitting the ball, it just gives you more confidence."

"He just did a great job," Stumpff said. "He was electric there for about five innings."

As was the West offense. Johnston starting pitcher Greg Larpenter came in with some gaudy statistics (8-1, 1.16 ERA), but the Trojans lit him up.

West scored twice in the top of the first, then put the game (and Larpenter) away with a six-run third. The big inning included a two-run double by White and two-run triple by Alex Hammes.

West finished with 13 hits, three each by Hammes and Neil Madsen. DeBoer, always known more for his bat, had five RBIs, including a bases-clearing double in the sixth.

It seemed like it was one line drive after another.

"We've been jumping on (teams) early," said Madsen. "I think we've not had the lead only one inning the whole tournament, including the substate. That's been the key. Getting on 'em early, swinging the bats from the start. Just jumping on them."

Stumpff said his starting pitcher Saturday night isn't certain, but don't be surprised if its sophomore Ryan Rumpf (8-3), who started and won Wednesday night's 4A quarterfinal against Cedar Rapids Washington. The coach expects North to counter with ace Dean McArdle, a Stanford signee who threw a complete-game five-hitter in North's quarterfinal game against Marshalltown.

If West can win Saturday night, it would be Iowa City's first state baseball championship. Iowa City High and Iowa City Regina have been runners-up three times each.

The Central Iowa Metro League's string of 11 straight 4A champions has come to an end. West is looking to become the first 4A titleist from the Mississippi Valley Conference since Cedar Rapids Washington in 1994.

"It's been a long time," Stumpff said. "We're well aware of that in the conference. The coaches know we haven't won one in a long time. It's a source of pride, we sure like to do well, I know that."

Why has it been such a drought for the MVC?

"I don't know," Stumpff said. "I think for a lot of those years, we weren't getting our best team down here. I know Kennedy was ranked No. 1 in 2004, and we beat them. In '05, Jefferson was the best team, and they got stepped on.

"I think the (substate) seedings probably have helped out. You don't get that (random) bye anymore. I think it gives our teams a better chance to get here and at least compete."