Iowa City High scratches out 2-0 victory over Waukee in a 4A state baseball quarterfinal

CEDAR RAPIDS — Embrace the ugly.

Postseason victories don’t have to be pretty. They just have to occur.

Iowa City High doesn’t mind the grisly ones. They’re just as effective and enjoyable.

“That’s about every game we’ve played,” City High Coach Brian Mitchell said with a laugh. “It’s never good looking. It’s pitching, it’s defense and we find a way to crawl across the plate.”

The third-ranked Little Hawks scratched out two runs in the fifth, while Jaxton Schroeder and Jake Mitchell combined for a shutout in a 2-0 win over No. 10 Waukee in a Class 4A state baseball quarterfinal Wednesday at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

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“A big team performance there,” Schroeder said. “Defense made a lot of big plays in clutch situations that we needed. We put the runs up that we needed, so we got the job done.”

Survive and advance, as Jake Mitchell said. City High (34-7) will face West Des Moines Dowling (24-15) in the semifinals Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

The Little Hawks waited a year for a chance to reach the next round. Last year, they were upset in the quarterfinals. They were determined to make amends and soothe the sting.

“We came in today with a chip on our shoulder,” said Jake Mitchell, claiming the role of underdog. “We came in fired up. We won our type of ballgame, which is low-scoring, so being able to come out on top is good.”

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Schroeder and Waukee’s Grant Sorensen were locked in a pitchers’ duel. The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the fifth. Ray Nugent pinch hit for Owen Hicks and lined a single to right field. Jake Mitchell drew a two-out walk, bringing Schroeder to the plate.

Sorensen jammed Schroeder and forced a short pop up in an inconvenient spot in front of the charging second baseman and the mound, where Sorensen was sprinting out to make a diving, over-the-shoulder attempt. The ball bounced out of his glove and rolled toward the outfield.

Hicks, who had re-entered to run for Nugent, was waved in to score with Mitchell advancing to third.

The Little Hawks hit harder balls that the Warriors made plays on, but it was the well-placed bloop that produced a run.

“It’s just baseball,” Schroeder said. “We’re really just trying to compete. If you put balls in play, good things are going to happen. That’s just how the game works.”

Kael Kurtz reached on an error and Mitchell scurried home for the final run.

“Once we get runners on base, we put pressure on teams,” Jake Mitchell said. “That’s how we ended up scoring. Just pressure situations being able to come through.

“Survive and advance. We’ll take anyone we can get and move on.”

Schroeder (7-1) lowered his 1.94 earned-run average with six scoreless innings. He struck out six and scattered five hits — the last a Michael Ogles single to lead off the seventh.

“I really have a lot of confidence on the mound with my defense,” Schroeder said. “They’re always going to come through and make big plays.

“It’s a really good feeling they are behind me. I can go out and trust my stuff and try to attack the zone as much as I can.”

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Brian Mitchell said the key is to get ahead on the mound. The rest will fall into place. Schroeder was able to pound the zone and be aggressive with pitches.

“He had a lot of energy,” Brian Mitchell said of Schroeder. “The ball was moving all over the place. I think his fastball was working, a lot of movement. His slider was pretty good. It started there.”

The younger Mitchell relieved Schroeder in the final frame, facing the tying run at the plate with none out. Catcher Aiden Wetmore picked off his second runner of the game and two groundouts followed.

“I was telling myself this was my game,” said Jake Mitchell, who earned the save. “This is what I live for. I’m meant to be here. I was not backing down from the situation.”

Waukee ended the season 26-17.

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Photos: Waukee vs. Iowa City High in 4A state baseball quarterfinals

Iowa City High 2, Waukee 0

CLASS 4A QUARTERFINAL

Waukee 000-000-0 - - 0-5-2

Iowa City High 000-020-x -- 2-6-2

Grant Sorensen, Braeden Billings (6) and Michael Ogles. Jaxton Schroeder, Jake Mitchell (7) and Aidan Wetmore. W - Schroeder (7-1). L - Sorensen (6-3). Sv - Mitchell (1). 2B - ICH: Mitchell.

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