Lack of offense dooms Iowa City Liberty in state baseball tournament loss

CEDAR RAPIDS - Heck of a season. Cruddy ending.

Though it’s going to be that way for any team that loses at the state baseball tournament.

Iowa City Liberty lost its Class 4A state baseball tournament quarterfinal to Waukee Northwest, 4-1, Tuesday night at Lewis & Clark Park in Sioux City. The Lightning could never get anything going offensively after scoring a run in the top of the first inning.

Liberty won 32 games this season and a Mississippi Valley Conference divisional championship for the first time in school history. It qualified for state for the third time in four years.

But that first state tourney win remains elusive. Northwest (29-10) moves on to Friday night’s 4A semifinals against either No. 1 Sioux City East or Bettendorf. Liberty concludes 32-10.

Pryor Reiners and Cooper Hughes picked up one-out singles in the initial inning for Liberty. Brayden Mayer walked to load the bases, and Reiners came home when Mason Waterbury’s infield pop was dropped.

That was all Northwest pitcher Chuck Berdovich would give up. Liberty stranded a runner at third base against the right-hander in the sixth, a guy at second in the fifth and a guy at first in the sixth.

Northwest knocked out Liberty starting pitcher Brady Zimmerman in the fourth inning, scoring twice to take the lead for good. The Wolves got a pair of one-out singles, including one of the RBI variety by Cayden Kitzman, a hit by pitch and two walks, including one with the bases loaded.

Pinch hitter Jack Hilgenberg singled up the middle with two outs in the bottom of the sixth to score two humongous runs that made it a 4-1 game. Berdovich retired Liberty in order in the seventh.

He gave up four hits and two walks, striking out three to improve his season record to 7-1.

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