Parker Ridge gets Marion rolling in 5-1 win over Xavier

CEDAR RAPIDS — Through the first four innings, Marion simply couldn't get its offense going.

Cedar Rapids Xavier pitcher Bryce Schulte — a future football walk-on at Iowa — was working on a no-hitter, and didn't seem like he was going to falter any time soon. While the Indians did produce a pair of runs off walks in the first two innings, they hadn't been able to muster a hit.

That was, until third baseman Parker Ridge hit a single to start the fifth inning. It was quickly followed up by an RBI single. Then another base hit.

Suddenly, what had been a struggling performance at the plate was now a successful outing — and the Indians didn't let it go to waste. Marion cruised to a 5-1 season-opening win over Xavier on Monday night in the first round of the 2017 Bob Vrbicek Metro baseball tournament at Xavier High School.

'I think we were nervous,' Marion Coach Steve Fish said. 'I was a little concerned watching our first couple at bats. Credit to the Schulte kid, he kept us off balance a little bit. But I think we were able to come back and squared a few balls up.'

It wasn't just a short stretch of success at the plate. Marion added a pair of runs in the sixth inning on an RBI single from third baseman Maverick Miller and an RBI double from shortstop Baylor Fish.

Once they finally started to get a few hits and get guys on base, Fish said, he felt the team had truly shaken the first-game jitters.

'It got contagious,' Fish said. 'We think we have a pretty good hitting team one through nine. I think once one guy got (his bat) going, we thought, 'OK just relax.' We were trying to do way too much.'

The Indians were led on the mound by Brady Donahue, who is likely their best pitcher. Last season, Donahue went 8-1 and led the Indians with a 0.60 ERA. On Monday, the senior threw more than 100 pitches over a six inning stretch, giving up just one run and three hits while preventing the Saints from mounting any late-game run.

'Getting those first two runs, it was nice, especially as a pitcher to get some cushion,' Donahue said. 'Midgame we were a little slow, then toward the end, it was nice to add those runs. It helped me.'

The Indians will take on Cedar Rapids Washington in the semifinals of the tournament on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Xavier. The Warriors dominated Cedar Rapids Jefferson, 12-0, in their season opener, holding the J-Hawks to just two hits through five innings and putting up seven runs in the sixth inning to end the contest early.

'(It was) just timely hitting,' Washington Coach Scott Brune said. 'We had good plate approaches all day. Then we started coming together with the timely hits with two outs (in the sixth inning), and that's what broke the game open.'

And even though Washington is in a higher class than Marion, Fish isn't intimidated by its talent. This early in the season, he said, he's only looking for improvement.

'It doesn't matter really who we're playing against,' Fish said. 'I tell our kids that we're playing against the game. Our goal is to get better so we get ready for next week and our conference. Playing against a talented team like Washington will only get us ready to go.'

l Comments: ryan.young@thegazette.com