DeBoer pitches a dandy to put Iowa City West in title game

Looking at the numbers each starting pitcher had made it appear this game might be a mistmatch.It was, only the reverse way. Josh DeBoer pitched better than his season stats indicated, and Iowa City West hit, hit, then hit some more to destroy Johnston, 11-4, in a surprising Class 4A state baseball semifinal last night at Principal Park.West (30-15) won its seventh game in a row and its 24th of 27 to make it to a championship game for the first time, against top-seeded Sioux City North (35-7). First pitch is slated for 8 p.m. but almost surely will come much later.This game didn't begin until 9:30 because North and Fort Dodge went nine innings in their semifinal, ending at . That's been par for the course in this tournament.DeBoer came into last night's affair with a less-than-auspicious 2-5 record and 5.48 earned run average but was brilliant with a live fastball and sweeping slider that produced 14 strikeouts. Johnston (29-14) nicked the right-handed senior for three hits and a run in the first inning, but he settled down and allowed just two hits from the second through sixth.

Meanwhile, DeBoer and the Trojans jumped all over Johnston starter Greg Larpenter, who came in 8-1 with a 1.16 ERA.West scored twice in the first inning and put things away with a six-run third, including an Eric White two-run double and Alex Hammes two-run triple. West finished with 13 hits, most of them of the line-drive bullet variety.DeBoer, always known more for his bat, added five RBIs in the game, including a three-run double in the sixth that made it an 11-1 game. Hammes and catcher Neil Madsen had three hits apiece for West.Iowa City has never had a state baseball champion, with City High and Regina finishing runner-up three times each. The Central Iowa Metro League's string of 11 straight 4A champions came to an end last night, with members Johnston and Fort Dodge being eliminated.The Mississippi Valley Conference hasn't had a 4A winner since Cedar Rapids Washington in 1994.