Youngsters and old guys spur Lisbon to state baseball tournament

LISBON - Ryan Stensland knows he's got a unique mix on his Lisbon baseball team every time he goes to practice. The parking lot next to the Lions' diamond tells him so.“We've got a bunch of guys who drive to practice in cars,” Stensland said. “Then we've got a bunch of guys who show up driving mopeds.”Hey, whatever works, and a group that's primarily seniors and freshmen have worked wonders. Lisbon (34-7) is the sixth seed at this week's Class 1A state tournament and plays third-seeded Lawton-Bronson (31-3) tonight at 6 at Principal Park in Des Moines.This is Lisbon's fifth trip to state, its first since 2007. Lawton-Bronson is a state tournament rookie.Speaking of rookies, Lisbon has got a bunch of them. Freshmen Brock Givens, Ryan Kortmeyer, Connor Woodward, Ryan Light and Keegan Tritle all start for the Lions, as do seniors Jordan Bahl, Ben Knake, Kolbi Kohl and Marshall Morgan.Junior catcher Hunter Caspers is the odd man in, so to speak.“At the beginning of the year, we told the freshmen what they needed to do,” said Morgan, Lisbon's ace pitcher and the state's leader in innings. “They done what we told them.”Bahl is Lisbon's leading hitter at .435, with Tritle next at .409 with 10 home runs. That perfectly represents this club.North Tama (21-12) is 1A's eighth seed and plays top-seeded Algona Garrigan (36-8) this afternoon at 2. This is the sixth trip to state for the upstart Red Hawks, their first since 2003.Like Lisbon, North Tama has won 13 of its last 15 ballgames. The Red Hawks stunned heavily favored BGM in the substate finals, 7-2.Two-time defending 1A champion Martensdale-St. Mary's (37-5) plays the first game today, a 4-5 affair against Treynor (30-4). Martensdale-St. Mary's had an 88-game win streak snapped in late May by Des Moines East, coming up one shy of the national record for consecutive victories.Mason City Newman, the 2009 1A champion, in the No. 2 seed in this year's field, playing Earlham tonight at 8.

CLASS 1A QUARTERFINALSLisbon (34-7) vs. Lawton-Bronson (31-3)

When: 6 p.m.

Where: Principal Park, Des Moines

Scouting Report: This is the fifth trip to state for Lisbon, which won the Class 1A state championship in 1994. This is L-B's first state trip, though Lawton-Bronson is the No. 3 seed here to Lisbon's No. 6. No question who Lisbon will throw in this game, as senior Marshall Morgan leads the state in victories (15-1 record) and innings (102 2/3). He has struck out 128 and allowed just 62 hits. Jordan Bahl leads the club in hitting (.435 with 47 RBIs and 27 stolen bases), while Keegan Tritle has 10 home runs and 40 RBIs. Lawton-Bronson has six starters hitting .390 or better, led by Dylon Lower (.471, 50 RBIs).

North Tama (21-12) vs. Algona Garrigan (36-8)

When: 2 p.m.

Where: Principal Park, Des Moines

Scouting Report:North Tama is the eighth seed here, taking on No. 1. The Red Hawks got hot at the right time, winning four postseason games to get to Des Moines, including a 7-2 upset of BGM in substate finals. North Tama only has four players with batting averages of .300 or better, lead by Brian Seda's .398. Jacob Wrage has 31 stolen bases and leads the pitching staff in victories (six). Garrigan ace Austin Vaske is 10-1 with a 1.10 earned run average and will surely get the ball today. He also has a team-best .490 batting average, 13 home runs and 62 RBIs.