Iowa City High and Dubuque Wahlert split MVC baseball doubleheader of ranked foes

IOWA CITY — First it was Dubuque Wahlert.

Then, it was Iowa City High’s turn.

The outcome was a doubleheader split between Class 3A second-ranked Wahlert and 4A No. 8 City High in a Mississippi Valley Conference baseball doubleheader Monday night at Mercer Park. The Golden Eagles won the opener, 5-4, in nine innings. The Little Hawks returned the favor with a 5-4 triumph in the nightcap.

Wahlert was able to edge the Little Hawks in a pitcher’s duel turned sloppy in the first game, snapping City High’s seven-game win streak and stretch of eight straight against MVC foes.

The Golden Eagles’ Aaron Savary and Little Hawks lefty Cade Obermueller dominated the first half of the game, producing four scoreless innings apiece.

Both teams got on the board in the fifth. Wahlert produced three in its half, capitalizing on two walks, two hits, an error and three stolen bases.

Luke Heying opened the frame with a leadoff walk and stole second. A single by Ryan Brosius and walk to Jake Brosius loaded the bases. Savary plated Heying with a squeeze bunt and reached. Jack Walsh’s fielder’s choice scored Ryan Brosius, while Jake Brosius stole home the next at-bat.

City High answered. Jacob Means belted a leadoff double and scored on a two-out triple by Ben Kueter, who scored on Cedric Dunnwald’s RBI single to make it 3-2.

Gable Mitchell helped the Little Hawks tie it up in the sixth thanks to his legs. Mitchell reached on a walk and then tagged on a flyball to right center to reach second. He moved to third when Obermueller reached on an error and then scored on a double steal.

Jake Brosius singled and scored on a Walsh sacrifice fly in the seventh, but Carter Seaton’s two-out RBI single scored Joey Bouska to force extra innings.

In the ninth, Ryan Brosius singled and scored when the right fielder misplayed a flyball off the bat of Jake Brosius. The pair accounted for four of the Golden Eagles runs.

Walsh threw two innings of scoreless relief to earn the Game 1 victory. Savary went seven innings, allowing six hits and striking out seven.

In Game 2, Carter Seaton legged out an infield chopper up the middle, moved to third on Mitchell’s sacrifice bunt and Obermueller’s opposite-field single to left field.

Wahlert (13-4. 8-4) opted to load the bases. When an offering to Kueter hit the dirt and bounced to the backstop, Seaton raced home for the game-winning run.

The Little Hawks (12-5, 10-2) were powered by a four-run third, including a three-run double from Kueter.

The Golden Eagles scored once in the second and again in the third. Jared Walter had a two-run double to tie it in the fifth for Wahlert.