Washington Baseball

No.5 Cougars solve Puk, collect 11-3 victory

A.J. Puk looked like an all-state pitcher for three innings against Cedar Rapids Kennedy Thursday night.

He struck out seven of the first nine batters he faced with a rising fastball and sharp curve, leaving the fifth-ranked Cougars swinging at air.

Sykes, Christensen, Yancey, Bell, Jacobus, Ambrosy and Benson all went down swinging in the first three innings as Puk fanned some good hitters in the Kennedy lineup.

The 6-foot-4 lefthander appeared in complete control for Cedar Rapids Washington. It was nine up, nine down.

"He's very smooth," said Kennedy senior Austin Christensen, who was strikeout victim No.2. "His fastball might not be the fastest, but it really gets on top of you. A lot of our guys were a little late on the fastball tonight. It jumps out of his hand."

Puk had it, then lost it.

Kennedy raked Puk for seven runs in the fourth inning and posted an 11-3 victory over the Warriors in a Mississippi Valley Conference game at Kennedy.

Puk was extra-special for three innings.

"He came out ready to play and he showed why he's one of the best pitchers in the state, especially considering he's only a sophomore," Washington Coach Brent Henry said. "He's going to be fun to watch for a couple of more years."

Puk walked Terrell Sykes to start the fourth. Then came the deluge. Christensen ripped a double, Griffin Michael singled to drive in two runs, David Yancey roped an RBI double, Cody Bell socked an RBI double, Matt Maiers reached on an error and Devon Jacobus crushed a three-run homer to right-center.

That gave Kennedy (19-4, 12-1) a 7-1 lead.

"I left a couple of pitches over the plate and they put the ball in play and things happened for them," Puk said.

The game began as a battle of quality lefthanders with Puk facing Christensen. The Warriors (8-13, 3-10) scored a run against the Kennedy ace in the third inning for a 1-0 lead, but they had a runner picked off second base with two outs to end the threat with runners at second and third.

Kennedy Coach Bret Hoyer, plagued by two rainouts this week, lifted Christensen after three innings and gave the ball to Michael, wanting to give both pitchers a workout. The Warriors got two hits against Michael in the fourth, but lost another runner on the bases to cost them a possible run.

Washington took a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the fourth inning, but it could have been 2-0 or 3-0 if not for the baserunning mistakes. Kennedy seized control with its seven-run outburst in the bottom of the fourth, starting with the pivotal leadoff walk to Sykes.

"If we clean things up on the basepaths and we have a three-nothing game instead of a one-nothing game, all of a sudden that walk doesn't mean quite so much," said Henry.

Hoyer was impressed with Puk.

"I thought he was really good," Hoyer said. "I thought he located real well, he changed speeds real well and he made it real tough on our guys.

"I just felt he lost his command, he couldn't locate as well (in the fourth inning). We have some pretty good hitters and they took advantage of it."

Puk has an 0-3 record this season, but he's struck out 29 batters in 14 1/3 innings (according to the IHSAA website). Control has been a problem, with 17 walks on his ledger. He's hitting about .400.

Puk was clocked at 86 mph at the Perfect Game Junior National Showcase in Fort Myers, Fla., June 14-15 and also hit the ball well in Florida, generating interest from some top college programs.

"The Florida Gators, the Miami Hurricanes, Georgetown, and I got something from Central Florida," he said. "I played pretty well down there."

Yancey and Bell belted back-to-back homers in the fifth inning to give Kennedy a 9-1 lead. Christensen went 1-for-3 with a walk and is hitting .625 (40 for 64).

Sam Kacena went 3-for-3 for Washington with two doubles and an RBI.

Kennedy and Washington will finish their two-game series at Washington Friday night.

WASHINGTON (3)
Brown, lf, 4 0 1 0, N. Dostal, 3b/2b, 3 0 0 0, White, ss, 3 1 1 0, Puk, p/1b, 3 0 0 0, Kacena, c, 3 0 3 1, Burdt, cr, 0 0 0 0, Rhatigan, dh/3b, 3 0 1 0, G. Dostal, 1b, 0 0 0 0, Zingula, 2b/p, 3 1 0 0, Hogg, rf, 1 0 0 0, Barton, ph, 1 0 0 0, Troendle, cf, 3 1 1 1. Totals 27 3 7 2.

KENNEDY (11)
Sykes, 2b, 2 1 0 0, Christensen, p/rf, 3 1 1 0, Michael, ss/p, 4 0 1 2, Hayden, cr, 0 1 0 0, Yancey, lf/p, 4 2 2 2, Hayden, cf, 0 0 0 0, Bell, 1b, 3 2 2 2, Maiers, c, 3 1 0 0, Lizarraga, c, 0 0 0 0, Jacobus, 3b/ss, 3 1 1 3, Ambrosy, rf/1b/lf, 3 1 2 0, Benson, dh, 3 1 1 0, Lloyd, cf/lf, 0 0 0 0. Totals 28 11 10 9.

Washington    001 001 1 - 3 7 4
Kennedy        000 722 x - 11 10 1

Puk, Zingula (4) and Kacena. Christensen, Michael (4), Yancey (7) and Maiers, Lizarraga (7). W - Michael. L - Puk. 2B - White, Kacena 2, Christensen, Yancey, Bell. HR - Yancey, Bell, Jacobus.

Lions top Warriors in suspended game, 8-4

It took 11 days, but the Linn-Mar Lions finally beat the Washington Warriors in a prep baseball game.

The game began on June 10, but was suspended in the top of the second inning due to rain, lightning and wet grounds with Linn-Mar holding a 5-0 lead.

They picked up Tuesday where they left off 11 days ago and the Lions posted an 8-4 victory in the Mississippi Valley Conference game at Washington.

Jeremy Danover slugged a solo homer Tuesday off the scoreboard in left-center field, giving the Lions a 6-1 lead in the top of the third inning.

Washington pulled within 6-4 in the fifth inning, but the Lions scored runs in the sixth and seventh innings to secure the victory.

Michael Redmond went 2-for-4 for Linn-Mar (11-8, 6-6) with three RBIs. Aaron Hunter was 2-for-3 and scored twice.

Justin Wyant, who was Linn-Mar's starting pitcher when the game began 11 days ago, was back on the mound Tuesday when the game resumed. He pitched a total of four innings and got the victory.

Jordy Brown and A.J. Puk had two hits for Washington (8-12, 3-9).

In a statistical oddity, Dakota Freese officially played for Washington on Tuesday even though he has left the squad to play for a travel team in Chicago. Freese was in the starting lineup for the Warriors when the game began June 10 but never came to bat. Robert Hogg took his spot in the batting order Tuesday.

LINN-MAR (8)
Hunter, lf, 3 2 2 1, Larison, ss, 4 0 1 1, Redmond, cf, 4 0 2 3, J.Stroschein, 1b, 2 1 1 0, Danover, c, 4 1 1 1, A.Stroschein, 3b, 3 1 1 1, Stickney, dh, 4 0 0 0, Wyant, p, 0 0 0 0, Stolley, p, 0 0 0 0, Greve, p, 0 0 0 0, Prokop, 2b, 4 1 1 0, Blackford, 1b, 1 2 1 0. Totals 29 8 10 7.

WASHINGTON (4)
Brown, lf/p, 4 2 2 1, N. Dostal, 3b/2b, 3 0 0 1, White, ss, 3 0 0 0, Puk, p/1b, 3 1 2 1, Kacena, c, 3 0 0 0, Freese, dh, 0 0 0 0, Hogg, rf/lf, 3 0 0 0, G. Dostal, 1b/rf, 2 0 1 0, Rhatigan, ph/3b, 1 0 0 0, Zingula, 2b, 3 0 1 1, Troendle, cf, 3 1 1 0. Totals 28 4 7 4.

Linn-Mar        141 001 1 - 8 10 3
Washington   012 010 0 - 4   7 0

Wyant, Stolley (5), Greve (7) and Danover. Puk, Brown (2), Zingula (7) and Kacena. W - Wyant. L - Puk. 2B - J. Stroschein, A. Stroschein, Prokop, Brown. HR - Danover. SB - Hunter, Redmond 2, J. Stroschein, A. Stroschein.

Dakota Freese leaves Warriors for Chi-Town Cream

Dakota Freese has left the Cedar Rapids Washington baseball team to play for the Chi-Town Cream, a summer travel team that's based in Chicago.

Freese said Monday he plans to play for the Chi-Town Cream for most of the summer, but plans to return to Cedar Rapids and play for Washington in the Class 4A substate tournament in mid-July.

Freese said he hopes playing for the Chi-Town Cream will improve his bargaining position with the Chicago White Sox, who selected him in the 34th round of the Major League draft this month.

"I'm trying to do as good as I can and face the best competition I can and get a good contract," he said.

Freese missed the first seven games of the 2011 high school campaign while serving an in-school suspension at Washington. He compiled a 1-1 record and 2.63 ERA for the Warriors in three appearances after the suspension, with 26 strikeouts and 11 walks in 16 innings. Opponents hit just .113 against him.

Freese, a 6-foot-4 righthander, was 6-3 with a 2.69 ERA in 2010 when he made all-state. He fanned 91 batters in 57 1/3 innings last season with 20 walks.

Freese has signed to play college baseball at LSU-Eunice, a junior college in Louisiana, and said there's a chance he'll enroll in school if he doesn't like the offer he gets from the White Sox.

"I'd love to go pro. No matter what, I want to go pro, but there's always that price," he said.

Freese pitched for Washington on June 13 against Iowa City West. He told Washington Coach Brent Henry a few days later that he was leaving the Warriors and joining the Chi-Town Cream.

"This is something the White Sox want him to do, and his advisers thought it was a good idea," Henry said. "It's good for him.

"He's trying to help himself and get a contract and get a signing bonus, so we're supporting him on that," Henry said. "We've had other obstacles that we've had to overcome, and this will be another one for us."

The Warriors are 8-11 overall and 3-8 in the Mississippi Valley Conference. They have had 14 players in uniform for most games, including Freese.

Freese traveled to Chicago last Thursday and played for the Chi-Town Cream last weekend. The Cream is scheduled to play Glenbrook (Ill.) South on Wednesday and play in the University of Michigan-Great Lakes Tournament this weekend.

The Cream also is scheduled to play in tournaments in Georgia, Illinois, Indiana and Texas this summer.

Freese has been clocked at 92 mph and throws a sharp curveball. He was hoping to be drafted higher than the 34th round, and is determined to have a pro career.

Freese is living in an apartment with a Chi-Town Cream teammate in the Chicago suburbs. He said there's a possibility he'll rejoin the Warriors in late June during a break in his travel team schedule, but said the chances are "very high" he'll be back for the Class 4A substate tournament that begins July 15.

"I really hated leaving the team," Freese said. "It was hard. I know the guys feel bad about it. It's really hard for all of us."

Hempstead sweeps Warriors

DUBUQUE -- Dubuque Hempstead swept a pair of Mississippi Valley Conference baseball games from Washington on Friday.

Hempstead (11-6, 8-4) won the opener, 8-3, then took the nightcap, 11-1, in five innings.

Dan White hit a two-run home run and Noah Dostal had three hits in the opener for Washington (8-11, 3-8). Mike Troendle (1-3) allowed six runs in four innings and took the loss.

Hempstead was led by Nick Johnson, who had two doubles and drove in two runs. Aaron Collins pitched a complete game for the Mustangs.

Hempstead's Brad Duwe limited the Warriors to three hits in the nightcap. AJ Puk singled and scored the only Washington run on Grant Dostal's sacrifice fly.

White (0-2) was Washington's starting pitcher and he gave up seven runs (four earned) in four innings. Peter Keleher's bases-clearing triple off Zach Zingula ended the game in the bottom of the fifth.

Washington plays a doubleheader at Prairie on Monday.

Washington Warriors at Dubuque Hempstead (Game 1)
Jun 17, 2011 at Dubuque, Iowa (Hempstead HS)

Washington Warriors 3 (8-10,3-7 mvc)          Dubuque Hempstead 8

Player                      AB  R  H BI       Player                      AB  R  H BI
---------------------------------------       ---------------------------------------
Jordy Brown cf/lf..........  3  0  1  1       Sean Fitzgerald ss.........  2  1  0  0
Noah Dostal 3b.............  4  1  3  0       Brad Duwe cf...............  3  2  2  0
Dan White ss...............  4  1  1  2       Adam Kennedy rf............  4  1  2  2
AJ Puk 1b..................  3  0  0  0       Cody Leach 1b..............  4  0  2  2
Sam Kacena c...............  3  0  0  0        Luke Ploessel pr..........  0  0  0  0
Grant Dostal pr...........  0  0  0  0       Chad Crabill c.............  3  0  2  0
Cole Rhatigan rf...........  3  0  2  0        Peter Keleher pr..........  0  1  0  0
Robert Hogg lf/p...........  3  0  1  0       Nick Johnson lf............  3  1  2  2
Zach Zingula 2b............  3  1  1  0       Ben Wilgenbusch dh.........  4  1  2  1
Mike Troendle p/cf.........  3  0  0  0       Nick Stevenson 2b..........  3  0  0  0
Kyle Weist 3b..............  4  1  1  1
Aaron Collins p............  0  0  0  0
Totals..................... 29  3  9  3       Totals..................... 30  8 13  8

Score by Innings                  R  H  E
-----------------------------------------
Washington Warriors. 200 100 0 -  3  9  2
Dubuque Hempstead... 300 140 X -  8 13  0
-----------------------------------------

E - White; Kacena. LOB - Warriors 8; Mustangs 10. 2B - N. Dostal; Zingula; Leach;
Crabill; Johnson 2. HR - White. HBP - Puk; Fitzgerald; Crabill. SH - Stevenson. SF -
Brown. SB - Brown; Fitzgerald; Duwe; Kennedy.

Washington Warriors            IP  H  R ER BB SO  WP BK HP IBB  AB BF  FO GO
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mike Troendle  L,1-3.......   4.0  9  6  6  3  3   1  0  2  0   20 25   4  4
Robert Hogg ...............   2.0  4  2  2  0  0   0  0  0  0   10 11   2  4

Dubuque Hempstead              IP  H  R ER BB SO  WP BK HP IBB  AB BF  FO GO
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aaron Collins  W...........   7.0  9  3  3  1  6   1  0  1  0   29 32   4 11

WP - Troendle; Collins. HBP - by Troendle (Crabill); by Troendle (Fitzgerald); by
Collins (Puk).

Strikeouts - Puk; Kacena; Rhatigan; Hogg; Troendle 2; Kennedy; Stevenson 2. Walks -
Kacena; Fitzgerald; Duwe; Johnson.

Umpires -
Start: 3:30 pm   Time: 1:45   Attendance: 80

Troendle faced 2 batters in the 5th.

Washington Warriors at Dubuque Hempstead (Game 2)
Jun 17, 2011 at Dubuque, Iowa (Hempstead HS)

Washington Warriors 1 (8-11,3-8 mvc)          Dubuque Hempstead 11

Player                      AB  R  H BI       Player                      AB  R  H BI
---------------------------------------       ---------------------------------------
Jordy Brown lf.............  3  0  1  0       Sean Fitzgerald ss.........  2  2  1  1
Noah Dostal ss/2b..........  3  0  0  0       Brad Duwe p................  4  0  1  2
Dan White p/ss.............  2  0  0  0        Luke Ploessel pr..........  0  1  0  0
AJ Puk 1b..................  2  1  1  0        Graham Houselog pr........  0  1  0  0
Sam Kacena c...............  1  0  1  0       Adam Kennedy rf............  3  1  1  0
Robert Hogg pr............  0  0  0  0       Cody Leach 1b..............  3  2  1  0
Cole Rhatigan 3b...........  2  0  0  0        Nate Cooksley pr..........  0  1  0  0
Zach Zingula 2b/p..........  1  0  0  0       Chad Crabill c.............  3  0  2  1
Grant Dostal rf............  1  0  0  1        Peter Keleher pr/c........  1  1  1  3
Mike Troendle cf...........  2  0  0  0       Nick Johnson lf............  2  0  1  1
Ben Wilgenbusch dh.........  3  1  1  2
Ben George 3b..............  2  0  1  0
Kyle Weist cf..............  2  1  2  0
Nick Stevenson 2b..........  0  0  0  0
Totals..................... 17  1  3  1       Totals..................... 25 11 12 10

Score by Innings               R  H  E
--------------------------------------
Washington Warriors. 010 00 -  1  3  3
Dubuque Hempstead... 312 14 - 11 12  1
--------------------------------------

Note: 2 outs, 1 runner LOB when the game ended.

E - White; Puk 2; Stevenson. LOB - Warriors 4; Mustangs 7. 2B - Johnson. 3B -
Keleher. HBP - Kacena; Zingula; Fitzgerald; Leach; George. SH - Johnson. SF - G.
Dostal; Fitzgerald. SB - Fitzgerald 2. CS - Brown.

Washington Warriors            IP  H  R ER BB SO  WP BK HP IBB  AB BF  FO GO
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dan White  L,0-2...........   4.0 11  7  4  1  1   2  0  0  0   22 25   7  4
Zach Zingula ..............   0.2  1  4  4  1  0   0  0  3  0    3  7   1  1

Dubuque Hempstead              IP  H  R ER BB SO  WP BK HP IBB  AB BF  FO GO
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brad Duwe  W...............   5.0  3  1  1  0  5   0  0  2  0   17 20   6  3

WP - White 2. HBP - by Duwe (Kacena); by Duwe (Zingula); by Zingula (George); by Zingula
(Fitzgerald); by Zingula (Leach).

Strikeouts - White 2; Rhatigan; G. Dostal; Troendle; George. Walks - Kennedy; Weist.

Umpires -
Start: 5:35 pm   Time: 1:25   Attendance: 80