Metro Sports Report

Marion belted by Assumption, 10-0

MAQUOKETA - Marion High School seniors Quinn Cannoy and Logan Fuller were ready to scrap their planned vacation to Mexico next week so they could play in the Class 3A state tournament, but that won't be necessary now.

Davenport Assumption crushed the Indians, 10-0, in five innings in the substate finals in Maquoketa Wednesday night to make the state meet and send the Indians home for the summer.

Cannoy and Fuller are glad they won't have to eat the $1,300 they invested in plane fare and lodging in Cabo San Lucas, but they're sad they won't be going to Des Moines with their teammates instead.

It would have been expensive state tournament for the two buddies.

"Yes, it would have, but going to state would have been the better thing," said Cannoy. "You can take a vacation anytime you want, but a state tournament only comes around once in a lifetime."

Kernels belt 3 homers in 7-2 win

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - The Cedar Rapids Kernels hit three home runs and struck out 15 Bowling Green batters Wednesday night in a 7-2 victory over the Hot Rods.

The Kernels (48-53) collected 14 hits and have won 10 of their last 12 games.

Tanner Vavra, Logan Wade and Mitch Garver all went deep for the Kernels. It was Vavra's first professional home run and one of his three hits Wednesday.

Garver hit his team-best 13th for the season. It was his fourth home run in the last two games after belting three round-trippers Monday.

Three Kernels hurlers combined to punch out 15 hitters, the second-highest strikeout total this season. Aaron Slegers (7-6) started and picked up the win, going six innings. He struck out seven while allowing five hits, one walk and two runs (one earned).

J-Hawks finish 7th at state softball

FORT DODGE - It took three games and 19 innings, but the Jefferson J-Hawks finally scored some runs at the Class 5A state softball tournament.

Jefferson tallied twice in the top of the seventh inning Wednesday and blanked 10th-ranked Waukee, 2-0, on a three-hit shutout by Alyssa Olson to finish seventh at the state meet.

The sixth-ranked J-Hawks lost to No.7 Pleasant Valley, 12-0 in six innings, earlier Wednesday in a consolation game.

Jefferson (35-8) and Waukee (25-19) were tied, 0-0, entering the seventh inning. Maddie Hansen drew a walk, Kennedy Dighton reached on an infield error and Erin Kuba singled to load the bases.

Tori Brandon drove in Jefferson's first run with a single. Kuba was credited with stealing home for Jefferson's second run.

Olson struck out six batters and did not walk anyone.

Jefferson lost to No.3 Southeast Polk, 2-0, in the opening round Tuesday, then the J-Hawks had trouble against Pleasant Valley in the consolation round Wednesday morning.

Pleasant Valley (31-9) scored five runs in the fourth inning and tacked on five more runs in the sixth and won the game by the mercy rule.

Jefferson got only three hits in the game against Taylor Hester, who tossed a complete game for Pleasant Valley. Savannah Fowler had two hits for the J-Hawks.

Haley Duwa went 3-for-3 and drove in six runs for the Spartans. Kayla Schmell was 3-for-4 with three RBIs. Sydney Dwyer also was 3-for-4. Pleasant Valley collected 18 hits against Jefferson pitcher Alissa Good.

Pleasant Valley  002 505 - 12 18 10
Jefferson        000 000 - 0 3 0

W - Hester (2-1). L - Good (15-2).

Jefferson        000 000 2 - 2 3 0
Waukee           000 000 0 - 0 3 2

W - Olson (18-6). L - Menz (15-14).

Erin Kuba of Jefferson: 'She's my hero'

Erin Kuba was born with Jefferson baby-blue blood in her veins.

Her dad Mike, a longtime at-risk facilitator at the school, was on the baseball staff for 18 years (the last seven as head coach) before becoming old friend Brian Erbe’s top assistant for the softball team last season.

“When she was 2 years old she’d sit on my lap at games,” recalls Mike. “And when she was little, she’d pick two away games a year to go on a charter bus with the team and be the bat girl.”

Now a 16-year-old sophomore star third baseman, Erin says, “I grew up a J-Hawk.”

Named last week to the MVC all-conference first team and all-Metro first team, she’s set to play in her second straight Class 5A state tournament when sixth-ranked Jefferson  (34-6) opens with third-ranked Southeast Polk (28-9) in a first-round game at Fort Dodge Tuesday at 11:30 a.m.