West earns second straight runner-up finish

DES MOINES - Iowa City West has been a regular in the state championship game recently.

The Trojans made their fourth finals appearance since 2009 and, like those other trips, they had to settle for second.

Third-seeded West's title hopes were denied by Southeast Polk for a second straight season. The fifth-seeded Rams became just the ninth large school program to win consecutive titles and first since West Des Moines Valley won four straight from 2003-06, beating West, 6-2, in the finals of the Class 4A state tournament Saturday night at Principal Park.

West (34-12) was the state runner-up last season, matching their feat of consecutive second-place finishes in 2009 and 2010.

'It's been a hell of a ride,” West senior Kevin DeLaney said. 'I loved playing with the team from last year and I love playing with this team. Coming up short the last two years, losing to the same team that definitely hurts, but I'm always going to play with those group of guys and be a Trojan.”

The loss was tough to swallow. The Trojans were hoping to overturn last year's result. They didn't find much solace in reaching a level matched by few other teams across the state.

'It's always good to make a trip back to Principal (Park), but we wanted to finish the job this year,” West's left fielder Joe Scott said. 'It didn't happen.”

The Rams jumped on the Trojans immediately, putting up four runs in the opening inning. In fact, it was 3-0 four batters into the game.

Tim Neff singled to right to start, taking second when the ball was bobbled. Cam Shannon reached on a bunt and Austin Martin followed with an RBI single. Cole Hassman delivered a blast for a two-run double, chasing home Shannon and Martin.

Despite the big deficit, West was confident in their ability to produce runs.

'It's nothing to us with our hitting,” Scott said. 'We were still feeling comfortable, but it just didn't work out.”

West answered with one in its half of the first. DeLaney reached on an error that allowed him to get into scoring position. Connor McCaffery looped a two-out single to right, bringing in DeLaney and making it, 4-1. McCaffery led the Trojans with two hits.

Southeast Polk (33-13) added another run the following inning. Sam Henry ripped a leadoff triple to right-center field. He scurried home on a wild pitch. Henry added an RBI double in the sixth, giving the Rams a 6-2 lead.

McLaughlin improved to 8-2, throwing a complete game and scattering six hits. Martin and Henry led the Rams with three hits apiece.

The Trojans still had a legitimate comeback opportunity in the seventh. They battled to keep things close.

'To our credit, I think it could have been a blowout,” West Coach Charlie Stumpff said. 'We kept it in there and we still had a chance going into the last inning. Hats off to our character for not letting it get away. Awesome job by our guys.”

Things just didn't go West's way, even when something good happened. Scott drew a two-out walk in the fourth. Tanner Lohaus followed with a shot that center fielder Henry appeared to lose in the lights. The ball bounced off the wall. Scott scored and Lohaus beat the relay to third, but slid by the bag. He was tagged out to end the inning with West down, 5-2.

West couldn't seem to conjure the key hit when needed, stranding two runners in the first and another in scoring position in the second. In the fifth, West threatened with two on and one out, but the SE Polk third baseman grabbed a bouncer to his left, starting an inning-ending double play.

'We were just unlucky,” DeLaney said. 'We hit the ball hard, right at people.

'Plays like those are what the other team has to take advantage of and they did. We just came up short.”

A scary moment for West came in the third. Shane Sturtz, who came in to relieve starter Austin Miller in the second, was hit by a line drive off the bat of Thomas McLaughlin. Sturtz crumbled to the ground and was motionless as coaches and medical staff immediately tended to him. The rest of the Trojans fielders huddled on the third-base side of the mound.

Sturtz slowly was sat up and walked off the field on his own power. He was carted off the field, sitting up in the back, after the inning.

Stumpff said Sturtz was hit in the back of the head, but did not lose consciousness. Stumpff received an update that Sturtz was transported to a nearby hospital and was undergoing medical tests.

'I think it was more precautionary,” Stumpff said. 'I hope, so we will wait and see on that. It's tough.

'He was verbalizing. My check question was if he was a (Chicago) Cubs fan and he said no, because he is a (St. Louis) Cardinals fan, so he seemed to be all right there at least.”

Stumpff said the game was indicative of their team. Trojans stepped in to make good plays. Stumpff said they will hold their heads high, considering their effort, but Southeast Polk closed the season playing well.

'You just tell them you are real proud of them,” Stumpff said. 'We did everything. We just didn't play quite well enough.”

West has plenty of talent returning, including Miller, Lohaus, Spencer Wiskus, Izaya Ono-Fullard, Connor McCaffery Oliver Martin and Nate Disterhoft. Stumpff will assess the situation in a few weeks, but the result is motivation for next season.

'It does add some fuel in the off-season and that's what it's all about,” Stumpff said. 'When you feel like not doing something, you can remind yourself of this feeling.”

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