Xavier Baseball

Saints belt Marion, 16-6

It's easy for Zach Nielsen to get overlooked among the top shortstops in the Metro area, but Marion Coach Steve Fish appreciates what Nielsen gives the club.

He's hitting approximately .500 after going 3-for-4 against Xavier Wednesday night and has improved his defense a great deal as a senior after struggling at times last season.

The Saints beat Marion, 16-6, in six innings in a non-conference game at Ken Charipar Field.

Nielsen has been a three-year starter for the Indians, but he's playing for a Class 3A school while all the other top shortstops are playing for 4A clubs. Blake Helms of Xavier, Griffin Michael of Kennedy and Ben Larison of Linn-Mar have enjoyed good careers, but so has Nielsen.

"We're coming out of a pretty good class," he said.

Helms (Kirkwood), Michael (Southeastern Community College) and Larison (Kirkwood) will be joining college baseball teams next season. So will Nielsen, who belongs in the conversation as one of the Metro's top shortstops in the Class of 2011.

Nielsen has committed to Century College, a two-year school that's located in White Bear Lake, Minn.

Nielsen acknowledged he feels overlooked at times, but he doesn't seem bothered by it too much. He knows the Class 4A shortstops are going to get more local recognition.

"They're at the bigger schools, they get better looks and everything," he said. "It will all play out, I guess, and be how it's supposed to be."

Nielsen committed 26 errors at shortstop last summer, but he's in single digits this year after 33 games.

"It's 100 percent better," Fish said. "Last year I think he rushed some things, but he's attacking the baseball now (on defense)."

Fish has enjoyed watching Nielsen improve the past three years.

"He's someone you appreciate with time," Fish said. "He has a huge heart and he plays the game hard. And he's really improved a lot. The growth he's had from his sophomore to senior year has really been impressive."

Nielsen has been a four-sport athlete at Marion High School with football, baseball, soccer and bowling, although he did not bowl this year. Fish is anxious to see what happens once Nielsen concentrates on baseball in college.

"If he gets some time to focus on baseball and gets around some good coaching, who knows what he can do," Fish remarked.

Nielsen hit .390 last season, but he's tacked more than 100 points onto his batting average this year. "I feel like I'm seeing the ball a little better," he said. "I feel it's just coming to me now."

Nielsen did his part against Xavier Wednesday night, but the Saints were too tough for the Indians.

Mack Mattke went 3-for-3 and drove in five runs for Xavier with an RBI single, sacrifice fly, two-run double and another sacrifice fly. Corbin Woods was 3-for-3 with a double and RBI. Eric Zenisek and Colby Brecht drove in two runs.

Dusty Albaugh, Addison Johnson and Josh Davila had two hits apiece for the Indians.

Marion played an unsual day-night doubleheader on Wednesday. The Indians lost the completion of a suspended game at Solon, 3-1, Wednesday afternoon before meeting Xavier Wednesday night.

MARION (6)
Semler, 2b, 3 1 0 0, Wagner, 3b, 4 1 1 0, Nielsen, ss, 4 1 3 1, Albaugh, rf, 4 0 2 2, Biery, 1b, 2 0 0 0, Stekl, 1b/p, 2 0 0 0, Johnson, c, 3 0 2 0, C. Cannoy, cr, 0 2 0 0, Charipar, cf, 2 0 0 0, Fish, dh, 3 0 1 0, Schneiders, p, 0 0 0 0, Hedtke, 1b, 0 0 0 0, Davila, lf, 3 1 2 2. Totals 30 6 11 5.

XAVIER (16)
Helms, ss, 4 2 1 0, Woods, 3b, 3 3 3 1, Sodawasser, pr, 0 1 0 0, Even, 2b, 5 1 2 0, Mattke, 1b/p, 3 2 3 5, Tipton, pr, 0 1 0 0, Ries, cf, 3 1 1 1, Mehring, lf, 1 1 0 1, McNeal, lf, 0 1 0 0, Hosch, p, 1 0 0 0, Hines, p, 2 0 1 1, Sodawasser, cr, 0 1 0 0, Zenisek, rf, 2 2 1 2, Brecht, c, 3 0 1 2, Brown, cf, 0 0 0 0. Totals 27 16 13 13.

Marion     050 010 -  6 11 4
Xavier     416 131 - 16 13 1

Schneiders, Stekl (5), Wagner (6) and Johnson. Hosch, Hines (3), Mattke (6) and Brecht. W - Hines. L - Schneiders. 2B - Johnson, Davila, Woods, Mattke. 3B - Albaugh. SB - Davila, Zenisek.

McNeal, Mehring shine as Xavier sweeps Tigers

The M&M Boys were mm-mmm good for the Xavier Saints Tuesday night.

First McNeal, then Mehring.

Ean McNeal tossed a one-hit shutout as the No.9 Saints blanked Cedar Falls, 3-0, in the first game of a Mississippi Valley Conference twinbill at Ken Charipar Field.

Dane Mehring got the ball in the nightcap and pitched a three-hit shutout as the Saints belted the Tigers, 9-0, to complete a masterful doubleheader.

The M&M Boys mowed 'em down.

"Coach Schemmel told us this was the first back-to-back shutouts in a doubleheader in a really long time," Mehring said proudly after he completed the twin-killing.

It might have been the first double-shutout in school history.

"I don't remember the last time it's happened," Coach Dave Schemmel remarked. "I don't know if it's ever happened while I've coached at Xavier. Usually we give up a run here or there, so this was a pretty good night."

McNeal was touched for a clean infield single in the second inning of the opener, but that was it. The Tigers didn't come close to getting another hit the entire game.

In fact, McNeal didn't need his outfielders for most of the game. The ball never left the infield until the Tigers' leadoff batter in the seventh inning flied out to right field. McNeal then finished the game with a ground ball and his sixth strikeout.

McNeal (7-1) used his curveball to keep the Tigers off-balance.

"I changed the grip before the game and it definitely worked," he said. "It broke a little bit more than usual."

Mack Mattke went 2-for-2 and drove in two runs for Xavier in the opener. Nate Even also collected two hits and Colby Brecht had an RBI single.

Mehring (5-1) nearly matched McNeal in the nightcap. He allowed a two-out single in the first inning, a one-out single in the fourth and a two-out single in the fifth. He walked two batters and was in control from start to finish.

The 11 strikeouts were a season high. "It's not like I'm an overpowering pitcher," he said. "I pitch to contact. It's nice to get some strikeouts here and there."

Corbin Woods went 2-for-3 with two RBIs in the nightcap, Alex Ries was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and Mehring helped his own cause with a two-run double.

Schemmel enjoyed the superb pitching, timely hitting and tight defense. Blake Helms returned to shortstop after missing three games with a sore shoulder and anchored the defense.

"It's a big difference," Schemmel said. "It gets everybody else settled down when he's in there."

The Saints raised their records to 23-8 overall and 17-7 in the conference. They host Marion Wednesday night at 7.

Cedar Falls fell to 14-17 overall and 13-11 in the MVC.

Game 1

CEDAR FALLS (0)
Gallu, cf, 3 0 0 0, Hagarty, ss, 2 0 0 0, Klinehart, 1b, 3 0 0 0, Zwanziger, rf, 3 0 0 0, Daniels, 2b, 3 0 1 0, Benton, dh, 2 0 0 0, Kloos, p, 0 0 0 0, Kuntz, lf, 1 0 0 0, Creger, 3b, 2 0 0 0, Sole, c, 2 0 0 0. Totals 21 0 1 0.

XAVIER (3)
Helms, ss, 3 0 0 0, Woods, 3b, 2 0 0 0, Even, 2b, 3 1 2 0, Mattke, 1b, 2 0 2 2, Ries, cf, 3 0 0 0, Mehring, lf, 2 1 1 0, McNeal, p, 3 0 0 0, Zenisek, rf, 2 0 1 0, Hosch, rf, 0 0 0 0, Brecht, c, 1 0 1 1, Brown, cr, 0 1 0 0. Totals 21 3 7 3.

Cedar Falls   000 000 0 - 0 1 1
Xavier         101 001 x - 3 7 0

Kloos and Sole. McNeal and Brecht. W - McNeal. L - Kloos. 2B - Even, Mehring. SB - Hagarty.

Game 2

CEDAR FALLS (0)
Gallu, cf, 3 0 0 0, Hagarty, ss, 2 0 0 0, Klinehart, 1b, 3 0 2 0, Doyle, lf/p, 3 0 0 0, Daniels, 2b, 3 0 0 0, Zwanziger, rf/3b, 3 0 0 0, Benton, dh, 3 0 0 0, Seehase, p/rf/lf, 0 0 0 0, Creger, 3b/p, 3 0 1 0, Sole, c, 2 0 0 0, Kuntz, cr, 0 0 0 0. Totals 25 0 3 0.

XAVIER (9)
Helms, ss, 0 1 0 0, Woods, 3b, 3 2 2 2, Even, 2b, 3 0 0 0, Mattke, 1b, 4 1 1 1, Ries, cf, 4 1 2 2, Mehring, p, 2 0 1 2, Sodawasser, cr, 0 1 0 0, McNeal, lf, 3 1 0 0, Zenisek, rf, 2 0 1 1, Hosch, ph/rf, 0 1 0 0, Brecht, c, 2 0 1 1, Brown, cr, 0 1 0 0. Totals 23 9 8 9.

Cedar Falls   000 000 0 - 0 3 1
Xavier        200 205 x - 9 8 1

Seehase, Creger (5), Doyle (6) and Sole. Mehring and Brecht. W - Mehring. L - Seehase. 2B - Mehring. SB - McNeal.

Xavier splits MVC twinbill with Dubuque Senior

DUBUQUE - Corbin Woods, Mac Mattke and Dane Mehring had three hits apiece as Xavier topped Dubuque Senior, 13-2, in six innings in the second game of a Mississippi Valley Conference doubleheader Friday.

Dubuque Senior won the first game, 6-5.

The split dropped Xavier (21-8, 15-7) into a tie with Iowa City West, which swept Waterloo East Friday night, atop the Valley Division standings with four conference games remaining. The Saints have doubleheaders remaining at home against Cedar Falls and at Dubuque Wahlert. Iowa City West has a home-and-home series with Iowa City High and a doubleheader at Cedar Falls remaining. Cedar Falls and Prairie are two games back. Prairie has six games left, Cedar Falls four.

Tyler Hines hit a two-run homer for Xavier in the fifth inning of the nightcap.

Dubuque Senior (14-19, 10-12) took advantage of four Xavier errors to score four unearned runs in the opener.

Alex Ries hit a home run for Xavier in the first game.

Saints split with Hempstead, lose shot at No.1 seed

The Xavier Saints needed to sweep Dubuque Hempstead Wednesday night to keep their hopes alive of claiming the No.1 seed for the Class 4A substate tournament next month.

Brad Duwe and the Mustangs had other ideas.

Duwe pitched a four-hitter and drove in two key runs as Hempstead spanked Xavier, 5-1, in the second game of their Mississippi Valley Conference twinbill at Ken Charipar Field.

The Saints won the first game, 7-3, but the split means they'll have to settle for the No.2 seed in the substate tournament that begins on July 15.

Cedar Rapids Kennedy clinched the No.1 seed by splitting its doubleheader at Iowa City High Wednesday night. The Cougars have reached the cutoff for determining seeds with a 23-7 record and the Saints (20-7) cannot catch them by Saturday's deadline.

The No.1 seed is important because it could lead to a second-round bye in the substate tournament, but Xavier Coach Dave Schemmel had other concerns Wednesday night.

The Saints had runners at second and third with nobody out in the fourth inning of the nightcap, but their number 4-5-6 hitters failed to produce a run against Duwe with Hempstead clinging to a 1-0 lead. The Saints didn't get a clutch hit all game.

"You've got to get runs on this pitcher," Schemmel said. "He's a good pitcher. He's a competitor, and he throws strikes and he makes you work for everything.

"We had opportunities, but that stat you see in the Major League linescore - hits with runners in scoring position - we didn't have any tonight in the second game. And you can't win games like that."

Hempstead took a 2-0 lead in the fifth inning of the nightcap. The Saints pulled within 2-1 in the bottom of the sixth, but they stranded the potential tying run at second base with two outs.

The Mustangs tacked on three big runs in the top of the seventh for their 5-1 edge, with Duwe stroking a two-run double to bust it open. The Saints intentionally walked a batter to face Duwe with the bases loaded and he made them pay.

"I loved it," Duwe said. "I've been struggling a little bit lately, but with the infield in and stuff, I just tried to put the barrel on it and get a good piece of it."

Xavier went quietly in the bottom of the seventh, and its shot at the No.1 seed went with it.

Duwe struck out seven batters and did not allow a walk. "I kept them off-balance pretty well, and the defense made plays behind me," he said. "It was a good team effort, it was a good win."

Kevin Hosch and Tyler Hines shared the pitching for Xavier in the first game. Hosch got the win and Hines got the save.

Hempstead was ranked in the top 10 of the Class 4A poll earlier in the season, but the Mustangs fell on tough times and have been struggling to keep their nose about the .500 mark. The split left them 16-15 overall and 10-10 in the conference.

"We started off pretty hot. We started off 8-and-2," Hempstead Coach Jeff Rapp said. "We ran into some tough teams there and kind of went on a little skid for a couple of weeks. I think we're just starting to turn the corner, though."

Schemmel had to juggle his defense in the nightcap after shortstop Blake Helms hurt his left shoulder in the first game when he dove into first base. He left the game and did not start the nightcap, but he pinch-hit in the seventh inning and Schemmel listed him as "day to day" with a bruised shoulder.

Schemmel had another problem in Game 2. Catcher Colby Brecht has a sore back that seems to be aggravated by swinging a bat, so Schemmel moved Brecht to third base and didn't let him hit. Corbin Woods moved from third base to shortstop, and Mack Mattke moved behind the plate for the first time this season.

As it turned out, Xavier's defense was good enough to win the ballgame. Hitting was the problem, not fielding.

"We have to learn how to hit a curveball," Schemmel said. "I'm a little frustrated with the way we swing at curveballs - or lack of swinging at curveballs. We take too many pitches. Something to work on."

Woods went 5-for-8 for Xavier in the twinbill with two doubles.

The Saints (20-7, 14-6) visit Dubuque Senior on Friday in their only remaining games this week. Even if they sweep the Rams, the Saints would finish the week at 22-7 and would not be able to catch the Kennedy Cougars at 23-7.

The IHSAA uses a two-part system to determine seeds for substate tournaments. The IHSAA counts the first 30 games of a team's season, but those 30 games must be played by July 2.

Xavier will have played a maximum of 29 games by July 2, so its seeding will be based on 29 games. But even if the Saints played 30 games by July 2 and tied Kennedy at 23-7, it wouldn't matter because one of the Saints' victories is over Class 3A Benton Community and all of Kennedy's victories have been against Class 4A clubs. Teams get extra points for beating teams from higher classes.

Game 1

HEMPSTEAD (3)
Fitzgerald, ss, 3 1 1 0, Weist, 3b, 4 1 2 0, Kennedy, rf, 4 0 1 0, Leach, 1b, 4 1 1 1, Duwe, cf, 4 0 2 1, Crabill, c, 4 0 2 1, Kelleher, cf, 0 0 0 0, Johnson, lf, 3 0 0 0, Wilgenbusch, dh, 3 0 1 0, Stevenson, 2b, 0 0 0 0, Seymour, pr, 0 0 0 0, Collins, p, 3 0 1 0, Stewart, p, 0 0 0 0, Houselog, cr, 0 0 0 0. Totals 32 3 11.

XAVIER (7)
Helms, ss, 3 1 2 0, Brown, pr/2b, 1 1 0 0, Woods, 3b, 4 1 3 1, Even, 2b/ss, 4 1 1 1, Mattke, 1b, 1 0 1 1, Ries, cf, 3 0 0 0, Hosch, p, 2 0 0 0, Sodawasser, cr, 0 1 0 0, Hines, p, 1 0 0 0, McNeal, lf, 4 1 2 0, Zenisek, rf, 2 1 1 0, Brecht, c, 1 0 0 2. Totals 26 7 10 4.

Hempstead    000 030 0 - 3 11 2
Xavier           003 220 x - 7 10 2

Collins, Stewart (6) and Crabill. Hosch, Hines (5) and Brecht. W - Hosch. L - Collins. S - Hines. 2B - McNeal. 3B - Zenisek. SB - Ries, Sodawasser, McNeal.

Game 2

HEMPSTEAD (5)
Fitzgerald, ss, 3 3 1 0, Weist, cf, 4 1 3 1, Kennedy, rf, 4 0 2 1, Leach, 1b, 2 1 0 0, Duwe, p, 4 0 1 2, Houselog, cr, 0 0 0 0, Crabill, dh, 4 0 1 0, Stevenson, 2b, 0 0 0 0, Johnson, lf, 4 0 1 1, Ploessel, 3b, 3 0 0 0, Wilgenbusch, ph, 1 0 0 0, Kelleher, c, 3 0 1 0, Seymour, cr, 0 0 0 0. Totals 32 5 10 5.

XAVIER (1)
Mehring, lf, 3 0 0 0, Woods, ss/3b, 3 1 2 0, Even, p/ss, 3 0 1 0, Mattke, c/p, 3 0 0 0, Ries, cf, 2 0 0 0, Hosch, 1b, 3 0 0 0, Zenisek, rf, 3 0 1 0, McNeal, dh, 2 0 0 0, Brecht, 3b/c, 0 0 0 0, Brown, 2b, 2 0 0 0, Helms, ph, 1 0 0 0. Totals 25 1 4 0.

Hempstead  100 010 3 - 5 10 2
Xavier     000 001 0 - 1 4 3

Duwe and Kelleher. Even, Mattke (7) and Mattke, Brecht (7). W - Duwe. L - Even. 2B - Weist, Duwe, Woods 2. SB - Weist, Kennedy, Johnson, Even.