Fri - 10 Jun
Written by Jim Ecker
Dakota Freese looked like Dakota Freese again Friday night.
That's good news for Freese and Cedar Rapids Washington, especially since he plans to pitch for the Warriors all season before talking to the Chicago White Sox about a pro contract.
Freese struck out 13 batters and tossed a two-hitter as the Warriors clipped Linn-Mar, 6-2, in the first game of a Mississippi Valley Conference doubleheader at Washington.
The second game was suspended in the top of the second inning due to weather with Linn-Mar leading, 5-0, and will be finished Wednesday at 5 p.m.
Freese struggled in his first outing last week against Jefferson, but he pitched well against Linn-Mar and showed why the White Sox picked him in the Major League draft on Wednesday.
"I had command of all my pitches tonight," he said. "I had to be smart on the mound and be able to throw off-speed pitches and everything for strikes. That's what I didn't do last week."
Linn-Mar scored two runs against Freese in the top of the first, but both runs were unearned due to an infield error. He had a no-hitter for 3 2/3 innings until Jeremy Danover laced a double to right field.
Freese walked four batters, but two of them came with two outs in the top of the seventh inning. He walked seven batters against Jefferson last week, but his control was much better against the Lions.
"Everybody has an off-night from time to time, and the other night was just his," Washington Coach Brent Henry remarked. "We talked about changing his mindset a little bit and changing his approach, and I give all the credit to him.
"That's the kind of performance that we expect out of him every time," Henry said.
Freese missed the first seven games of the season due to an in-school suspension, and his first outing last Thursday came just a few days before the Major League draft. In retrospect, he thinks he may have been trying too hard.
"I was trying to be really, really good and it wasn't me," he said. "I wasn't a pitcher, I was a thrower. I just need to be a pitcher like I was tonight."
Freese was selected in the 34th round of the draft, which was lower than he wanted, but he's proud of being drafted and excited about the possibility of playing pro baseball.
"It's sunk in pretty deep," he said. "Pro ball has been a big dream of mine for years and years."
Freese has committed to play college baseball at LSU-Eunice, a junior college in Louisiana. He said the White Sox do not want to talk about a contract until after the season, so he plans to play for the Warriors all year.
"That's fine with me," he said. "So if I do well this year, hopefully I'll get a good offer. They're going to come see me throughout the season, and then after that we're going to discuss what I'm going to be offered."
If Freese likes the offer, he'll sign. If he doesn't like the offer, he'll go to college. He said he has an amount in mind - "Pretty much" - but revealing the number could hurt negotiations.
Henry is delighted his star pitcher plans to stay with the Warriors all season. "He's a special competitor and a special player, and we're lucky to have him anytime he's pitching," Henry said.
Linn-Mar (7-6, 3-4) scored its two runs in the first inning on a walk, error, passed ball and wild pitch, but Freese overcame the erratic start and dominated the rest of the game.
Freese helped his own cause with a two-run single in the bottom of the first for a 3-2 lead. Jordy Brown went 2-for-3 for the Warriors, scored three runs and stole three bases. Noah Dostal and A.J. Puk picked up RBIs for the Warriors (7-7, 3-4).
LINN-MAR (2)
Hunter, lf, 3 1 0 0, Larison, ss, 3 1 0 0, Redmond, cf, 3 0 1 0, J.Stroschein, rf, 3 0 0 0, Danover, c, 3 0 1 0, Kvach, cr, 0 0 0 0, A.Stroschein, 3b, 3 0 0 0, Blackford, p/1b, 3 0 0 0, Prokop, 2b, 1 0 0 0, Sturenfeldt, 1b, 1 0 0 0, Bogert, rf, 0 0 0 0. Totals 23 2 2 0.
WASHINGTON (6)
Brown, lf, 3 3 2 0, N. Dostal, 3b, 3 0 1 1, White, ss, 2 0 0 0, Puk, 1b, 2 1 1 1, Kacena, c, 3 0 1 0, Hogg, cr, 0 1 0 0, Freese, p, 3 0 1 2, Rhatigan, dh, 3 0 0 0, G. Dostal, rf, 0 0 0 0, Zingula, 2b, 3 1 1 0, Troendle, cf, 3 0 0 0. Totals 25 6 7 4.
Linn-Mar 200 000 0 - 2 2 3
Washington 300 012 x - 6 7 1
Blackford, J. Stroschein (6) and Danover. Freese and Kacena. W - Freese (1-1). L - Blackford. 2B - Danover, Kacena. SB - Larison, Brown 3, N.Dostal, White.
