No comeback this time for Iowa City West

DES MOINES – Iowa City West got its for-the-ages comeback, but needed another one.

The Trojans gave up a pair of runs in the top of the first inning and never got untracked offensively, losing the Class 4A state baseball tournament championship game to Southeast Polk, 2-0, Saturday night at Principal Park.

Coach Charlie Stumpff is a certain hall of famer by the time it's said and done, with nearly 600 career victories on his considerable ledger. But he and West are still seeking title number one, as hard as that is to believe.

This is the Trojans' third runner-up finish in the last six years. This was their seventh state tournament appearance under Stumpff.

'I always tell the boys that it's been 100 years since I've played,” he said. 'But I know you can't win if you get a zero. Their guy was just better tonight.”

You honestly figured this championship was in the bag after West scored six times in the bottom of the seventh inning to stun Johnston, 7-6, in Friday night's semifinals, but there was no rally this time. The Trojans (34-9) were limited to four hits by Southeast Polk pitcher T.J. Fetters.

He allowed a one-out infield single to Nick Gallagher in the seventh, but struck out Grant Ewing looking and snared Kevin DeLaney's hot comebacker, running most of the way to first base before flipping the ball to first baseman Zach Hamilton to end it. The celebration then unfolded.

This was Southeast Polk's first baseball state championship. Central Iowa Metro League schools have won the last four 4A titles and 18 of the last 20.

'I think last night took an emotional toll on us,” said West's Tyus Adkins. 'I'm not going to make any excuses or anything, but I think it did. But no matter what, we played our hearts out. We just came up a bit short.”

Southeast Polk (32-13) wasted zero time in getting its offense going. Anthony Schneider swung at the very first pitch from Adkins and drove it to the fence in left-center on a hop for a leadoff double. He was bunted to third and scored on Nick Arnold's line-drive single to right.

Arnold went to second on a groundout, to third on a wild pitch and scored on Corey Gehling's well-hit RBI single up the middle. The Rams got another hit from Zach Hamilton up the middle before Adkins finally retired the side on a long flyball to left.

The right-hander, who got the win in West's 4-2 quarterfinal victory over West Des Moines Dowling, settled down and settled in after his rough beginning, allowing just one baserunner (on a single) from innings two through six. And he was eliminated on a niftily turned around-the-horn double play.

'Just left a couple balls up,” Adkins said. 'Made mistakes, though I was able to correct them. I'm not disappointed in my performance. Yeah, the outcome was bad. But, you know what, we fought. That's all you ask for.”

West had two runners on in the bottom of the first against Fetters, but he struck out Nate Boland to end that threat.

A strikeout and flyout stranded a runner at second in the second. West got two singles in the fifth, but a 4-6-3 double play between them foiled that potential rally.

Both pitchers ended with complete games. Adkins gave up nine hits, didn't walk anyone and struck out three.

'It's a cruel deal, these athletics,” Stumpff said. 'We were riding high last night, and the reason you were riding high is because of how miserable you feel right now. We'll go in and shed a few tears, then reminisce on what a great year we've had.”

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