Surprising Washington ends Kennedy's Metro Tournament streak

MARION - Zac Gillis' astonished look said it all.“I don't think I've ever been 2-0,” the Cedar Rapids Washington designated hitter said to his teammates after their 3-2 win Tuesday night over Cedar Rapids Kennedy in the semifinals of the Bob Vrbicek Metro Tournament.His line-drive single to right with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the seventh inning sends Washington to Wednesday night's finals opposite Cedar Rapids Xavier. Make that rather surprisingly sends Wash to the finals.This is a team that was 13-26 last season, starts two freshmen and an eighth-grader and has a lame-duck head coach in Tony Lombardi.“Such big improvement from a year ago,” said Matt Troendle, who threw a gutty complete game five-hitter. “Not just on the mound, but the whole field in general. And our hitters are improved a lot.”Hitters like Gillis. The big man singled leading off a two-run Washington fourth, then laced a pitch from Kennedy reliever Tony Maiers the other way to win it.“I get so nervous when I'm hitting,” Gillis said. “That's why you see me tap my chin with the knob of my bat when I'm up there. I'm just trying to calm myself down.”Eighth-grader Rocky Lombardi led off the Wash seventh with a walk. A one-out error and walk to freshman Johnny Dobbs loaded the bases.Earlier in the day, Kennedy - which had claimed the previous three Metro Tournaments - won a suspended game from Monday night over Marion, 3-2, by scoring a run in the seventh on a Brock Skow squeeze bunt. A home run leading off the inning by Jared Staton tied things Monday before lighting forced suspension.The Cougars took a 2-0 lead against Wash on a Maiers RBI single in the first and Joel Smetzer run-scoring hit in the fourth. That was all lefty Troendle would give up.“I felt great, felt loose,” he said. "The most important thing was getting that first strike. All my pitches were working for me, honestly.”Washington and Xavier play about 7 p.m. Wednesday night at Veterans Memorial Stadium. Kennedy gets Linn-Mar in the 5 p.m. third-place game.Mount Vernon won the consolation game here Tuesday night, 7-1, even though Marion had one more hit (8-7). Both teams dipped into their respective pitching staffs deeply considering they begin Wamac Conference play Thursday night, and walks and deep counts were plentiful because of it.Marion didn't throw any of its top pitchers more than two innings against Kennedy. The Indians are playing without top hitter Trev Biery - an all-stater last year - because of injury.Freshman Marquis Dew did a nice job in relief for Mount Vernon to pick up the victory. MV plays Cedar Rapids Prairie in the fifth-place game Wednesday night at 7 at Linn-Mar. Marion gets Cedar Rapids Jefferson at 5 p.m. at Linn-Mar in the seventh-place game.