West Des Moines Dowling ends Iowa City High’s season in state baseball semifinals again

CEDAR RAPIDS — You can excuse the Iowa City High baseball program if it has developed some sort of phobia against the color maroon.

If just someone saying the words “West Des Moines Dowling” gives it a severe case of the heebie-jeebies.

For the second time in three years, an outstanding City High season came to an end in the semifinals of the Class 4A state tournament thanks to this apparent hex its nemesis to the west has put on the Little Hawks. Two years ago, it was a 6-4 loss.

This time it was 5-1 Thursday night at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

“They came out of nowhere this year,” said City High Coach Brian Mitchell. “We felt like we were in a good position here before. It was very reminiscent of that. All of a sudden, you think you have what you want on the mound. It just didn’t work out for us.

“They just executed better than we did.

Dowling (25-15) has taken down third-ranked City High and second-ranked Dallas Center Grimes here. The Maroons beat DCG in Tuesday night’s quarterfinals, 3-1.

Notice the one run allowed in both of its games, and, well, there’s the reason Dowling has advanced to play top-ranked Cedar Rapids Kennedy (35-4) in Friday night’s 4A championship game. It’s a scheduled 7:30 first pitch.

Ace starting pitcher and TCU signee Trever Baumler (who has a low-90s fastball) mowed down DCG in the quarters so efficiently and was removed from that game early in order to be available against Kennedy. Dowling Coach Mark Roering said he will start him against the Cougars.

It was Cole Southard who was the star pitcher against City High. The senior right-hander gave up just five hits, all singles, against the Little Hawks, striking out eight.

“I’d say he was just confident out there,” said City High’s Jake Mitchell. “We weren’t ready to go in the box, and he was out there competing and coming after us. I don’t think he walked a single guy ... He just had confidence, and we weren’t ready.”

Recommended Reading

Photos: Iowa City High vs. West Des Moines Dowling Class 4A state baseball semifinals

“I felt like I just wanted to go after them,” said Southard. “Just show them what I can do. I mean, I know that I’m better than anyone I pitch against when I’m on my ‘A’ game. I was just trying to fill the zone and have my guys make plays behind me. It all worked out.”

Southard’s teammates gave him more than enough offensive support, too. Dowling scored two runs on four hits in the second inning and added three more runs in the fourth, collecting for more hits, knocking out City High starting pitcher Talon Young, who had just a 1.38 earned run average coming in and who had by far the most innings pitched for the Little Hawks this season.

Every Maroon in the lineup reached base in the game via either hit, walk or hit batter. Seven of the nine guys had at least one hit.

  Buy Photo

City High ends its season with a 34-7 record. This is the eighth consecutive year a school from the Central Iowa Metro League will play in a championship game.

Believe it or not, an Iowa City school has never won a state baseball championship. City High lost in the 1959, 1992 and 1995 title games.

“I remember my first bullpen was Sept. 21,” said City High pitcher Johannes Boevers, who gave his team a shot at a comeback that never came by throwing three shutout relief innings. “We work the whole year. We worked to get to this point.”

“Bringing it every day, being fun to be around, great attitudes as a whole,” Coach Mitchell said. “That’s what probably makes this even harder. Because you know how much it means to all of them.”

Comments: (319)-398-8258, jeff.johnson@thegazette.com