Xavier Baseball

Xavier rallies to beat J-Hawks twice

The coach knows best, especially when facing one of the former players in his program.

Xavier Coach Dave Schemmel said he had an idea that Jefferson pitcher Bailey Hollingsworth, who played his freshman season for the Saints, would be spinning curveballs with no outs and the winning run on second base in the bottom of the seventh inning of a tie game Friday night at Ken Charipar Field.

So, after giving the bunt sign to Alex Ries, who failed to deliver on the first pitch, Schemmel took the bunt off. One strike later, Ries lined a single just inside third base that plated the winning run in a 5-4 win over the J-Hawks that completed a doubleheader sweep. The Saints rallied for four runs in the bottom of the seventh to win the opener, 10-9.

"I figured Bailey has a bunch of different pitches and I figured with who we had up next in the order, Alex would be just as good as anybody to get some solid contact," Schemmel said. "So I just let him go."

Ries was surprised Schemmel took the bunt off.

"I don't know why he did that," Ries said. "But I just went with it and tried to make something good of it."

Xavier (18-5, 12-4) ran its winning streak to six games and holds a three-game lead in the MVC Valley Division. The Saints are 5-1 in one-run games.

"Our goal is to always battle back when we're down," Ries said. "So, that's what we did."

Twice.

Xavier led the first game, 6-4, heading into the top of the seventh inning. But Alex Larson singled home one run and Drew Striegel belted a two-out grand slam that gave the J-Hawks a 9-6 lead.

But three base hits, a Jefferson error, and Helms' two-out double produced four runs and Xavier escaped with the win.

"I don't know if we got away with anything," Helms said. "We fought it out. Jefferson is a good team, even though their record might not show it. They still have a lot of talent. We came out and fought hard and didn't give up, I guess."

Jefferson (6-17, 4-12) lost for the 12th time in its last 13 games. The last three have been one-run losses and the J-Hawks held leads in all three games. They are 0-5 in one-run games.

"Those are definitely could've/should've wins for us," Jefferson Coach Mike Kuba said. "We're not blaming anybody. These two games were not one-pitch, one-hit ballgames. It wasn't anything one person did.

"But these are the type of games that we need to be winning.

"We have to play seven innings of ball. Errors and leadoff walks will come back to haunt you. But I think we're getting better. That's what we're honing in on in the second half of the season. Hopefully, it will start paying off for us."

Schemmel said he wasn't fooled by the J-Hawks' record and was hoping his team wouldn't be either, especially with a doubleheader at No. 5 Kennedy coming up on Monday night.

"They always scare us," Schemmel said. "They're a big rival of ours. Anytime you have a rivalry ... and I was just hoping we weren't going to look past these guys to Kennedy. I think we did a nice job tonight."

Xavier junior Mack Mattke, who had three hits as the designated hitter in the opener, came on in relief in the nightcap with the bases loaded and two outs in the Jefferson seventh. He fanned Hollingsworth on three pitches, and got the win when the Saints rallied in the bottom of the inning.

Ean McNeal, who pitched the seventh inning and gave up five runs in the opener, was the winning pitcher when the Saints came back for the win. Jordan Dee took the loss for the J-Hawks.

Jefferson senior Michael Rooney was 5-for-5 in the doubleheader, with three hits in the opener and two in the nightcap.

Sophomore Corbin Woods belted a two-run home run in the nightcap for Xavier. Senior Eric Zenisek drove in four runs and scored three in the opener.

Game 1

JEFFERSON (9)
Tanner Unkel, 2b, 4 1 1 0, Michael Rooney, cf, 3 1 3 1, Alex Larson, p-ss, 4 0 1 1, Aaron Gruwell, pr, 0 1 0 0, Jordan McCormick, 1b, 3 1 0 0, Drew Striegel, c, 4 1 2 4, Drake Vanous, cr, 0 1 0 0, Jake Schmidt, dh, 4 1 1 0, Ky Kramer, ss, 0 0 0 0, Jordan Dee, p, 0 0 0 0, Bailey Hollingsworth, rf, 3 1 2 1, Christian Knox, lf, 2 1 0 0, Sam Techau, 3b, 3 0 1 1. Totals 30 9 11 8.

XAVIER (10)
Blake Helms, ss, 4 0 1 3, Corbin Woods, p-3b, 4 0 0 0, Tyler Hines, cr, 0 0 0 0, Nate Even, 2b, 3 1 0 0, Mack Mattke, dh, 4 1 3 1, Colin Brown, 3b, 0 0 0 0, Andrew Sodawasser pr, 0 1 0 0, Dane Mehring, lf, 0 0 0 0, Alex Ries, cf, 2 2 0 0, Kevin Hosch, 1b, 3 0 1 0, Ean McNeal, lf-p, 4 2 2 2, Eric Zenisek, rf, 4 3 2 4, Colby Brecht, c, 4 0 3 0, Josh Tipton, cr, 0 0 0 0. Totals 32 10 12 10.

Jefferson  001 210 5 -  9 11 2
Xavier      100 014 4 - 10 12 0
(Two outs when winning run scored)

Larson, Dee (6) and Striegel. Woods, McNeal (7) and Brecht. W - McNeal. L - Dee. 2B - Schmidt, Hollingsworth 2, Helms, Mattke 2, Brecht 2. HR - Striegel, Zenisek. SB - Unkel, Even.

Game 2

JEFFERSON (4)
Unkel, 2b, 4 0 0 0, Rooney, cf, 2 1 2 1, Larson, 3b, 3 0 1 1, McCormick, 1b, 2 0 1 0, Striegel, dh, 4 0 0 0, Colten Jourdan, c, 0 0 0 0, Chance Tiedtke, p, 3 0 2 0, Drake Vanous, cr-rf, 0 1 0 0, Hollingsworth, rf-p, 4 0 1 0, Knox, lf, 2 1 0 0, Kramer, ss, 3 1 1 1. Totals 27 4 8 3.

XAVIER (5)
Helms, ss, 2 1 0 1, Woods, 3b, 3 1 1 2, Even, 2b-p, 4 1 0 0, Mattke, 1b-p, 1 0 0 0, Ries, cf, 4 0 2 1, Hosch, dh-1b, 2 1 0 0, Tyler Hines, p, 0 0 0 0, Brown, 2b, 0 0 0 0, McNeal, lf, 2 0 0 0, Mehring, lf, 1 0 0 0, Zenisek, rf, 3 1 1 0, Brecht, c, 2 0 1 1, Sodawasser, cr, 0 0 0 0. Totals 24 5 5 5.

Jefferson   001 300 0 - 4 8 1
Xavier       002 002 1 - 5 5 2
(No outs when winning run scored)

Tiedtke, Hollingsworth (5) and Jourdan. Hines, Even (5), Mattke (7) and Brecht. W - Mattke. L - Hollingsworth. 2B - Rooney, McCormick, Zenisek. HR - Woods. SB - Rooney, Vanous, Kramer, Woods, Even, Sodawasser.

Hosch shines as No.10 Saints top Bettendorf

Xavier Coach Dave Schemmel got a pleasant surprise when he arrived at the ballpark Tuesday.

The Saints have cracked the Class 4A rankings for the first time this year and are No.10 in the poll.

"I just heard that when I walked across the bridge to the game," Schemmel said Tuesday night. "I didn't know anything about it. We'll take it."

Xavier celebrated its lofty status with a 6-2 victory over Bettendorf behind a strong pitching performance by Kevin Hosch.

There's a wooden bridge that leads to Ken Charipar Field at Xavier High School. By the time the Saints crossed that bridge to go home, they were 16-5 overall and happy with their new perch in the poll.

"The kids have been playing well. They have a decent record. I think we've been playing good enough baseball to be there (in the rankings)," Schemmel remarked. "But, it puts the bull's-eye on you, so every time out you have to play well."

Hosch carried a shutout into the seventh inning, but Bettendorf (2-11) scored two unearned runs with two outs on a deep fly ball to center into a suddenly heavy rain. Hosch got the next batter on a fly ball to right to end the game.

Hosch, a junior, had struggled in recent outings.

"It feels great, actually, to get my confidence back," he said. "I've had a few big innings put up against me. It's nice to get this game and a complete game."

Hosch struck out eight batters, allowed four hits (all singles) and walked four batters. Bettendorf did not send more than four batters to the plate until the seventh inning.

"Kevin hasn't pitched well in his last two outings and it was good for him to get off to a decent start," Schemmel said. "He did a nice job. It was a big one for him."

Hosch agreed.

"I just went after them with fastballs," he said. "I didn't try to junk them up, really. I tried to get first-pitch strikes and go from there."

Blake Helms helped the Saints grab an early lead, scoring in the first inning on a hustle play and driving in a run in the second inning with a base hit.

Mack Mattke and Alex Ries drove in runs in the third inning with back-to-back doubles when the Saints made it 5-0. Nate Even drove in the sixth run with an RBI single in the sixth.

Xavier right fielder Eric Zenisek preserved the shutout in the fourth inning with a strong throw to the plate to nail a runner trying to score on a fly ball. Xavier catcher Colby Brecht did a good job of catching the throw and tagging the runner.

Helms, Even and Brecht had two hits apiece for the Saints.

BETTENDORF (2)
Schmitt, c, 4 0 0 0, Lintz, rf/p, 3 0 0 0, Sullivan, 3b, 3 0 1 0, Downey, dh, 2 0 0 0, Edwards, cf, 2 0 1 0, Clearman, ph, 1 1 1 0, Miles, 2b, 2 0 1 0, Kellums, ph, 0 1 0 0, Flynn, 1b, 2 0 0 0, Kelly, p, 1 0 0 0, Albert, p, 1 0 0 0, Biggs, ph, 1 0 0 0, Schmid, lf, 2 0 0 0. Totals 24 2 4 0.

XAVIER (6)
Helms, ss, 4 1 2 1, Woods, 3b, 3 0 1 0, Even, 2b, 3 1 2 1, Mattke, 1b, 4 1 1 1, Ries, cf, 3 0 1 1, Sodawasser, cf, 0 0 0 0, Hosch, p, 3 0 0 0, McNeal, lf, 1 1 0 0, Mehring, ph/lf, 1 0 0 0, Zenisek, rf, 1 1 1 0, Brecht, c, 3 0 2 1, Brown, cr, 0 1 0 0. Totals 26 6 10 5.

Bettendorf   000 000 2 - 2  4 0
Xavier          122 001 x - 6 10 1

Kelly, Albert (3) Lintz (6) and Schmitt. Hosch and Brecht. W - Hosch. L - Kelly. 2B - Mattke, Ries, Zenisek. SB - Schmid, Even, Zenisek.

Saints hurlers key sweep of City High

The Xavier Saints took a pair of games from Iowa City High Monday night at Ken Charipar Field.

Xavier got outstanding pitching from Mack Mattke and Dane Mehring and beat the Little Hawks, 5-3 and 2-0, in a Mississippi Valley Conference baseball doubleheader.

“We really got some good pitching tonight,’ said Xavier Coach Dave Schemmel.  “We pitched ourselves out of a few tough situations and really stayed focused on the mound.”

Mattke was on the mound in game one for No. 10 Xavier (15-5, 10-4). He gave up a lead-off single and Adam Prybil's two-run homer in the first inning and then settled in and gave up only three more hits.  Mattke struck out nine and got the complete game victory.

“I left that pitch out over the plate and Prybil hit it,” said Mattke, “You just have to let it go and keep pitching.  I stayed low and away on him the rest of the night.”

The Saints put together singles by Mattke, Alex Ries and Eric Zenisek with two Little Hawk errors to plate three runs in the sixth inning to cement the win.

Mehring took the mound for the Saints in the second game. He was helped out by a stellar double play in the first inning.  With runners on second and third with one out, Connor Alberhasky hit a line drive toward right center that was snared by Saint’s second baseman Nate Even, who flipped to Blake Helms to nip the runner at second base.

Mehring struck out six in his complete game shutout.

“I got an extra edge from that big double play in the first,” said Mehring.  “I just trust in my defense and they came through for that time for sure.”

Mattke was the offensive leader in both games, going 2-for-3 with an RBI double in each game.  He collected three RBIs for the night.

“I like having runners on.  I try to sit back and hit the ball up the middle,” said Mattke.  “I needed a good hitting night.”

Iowa City (13-10, 7-7) was led offensively by Prybil, who got a hit in each game, including the home run in the opener.

Xavier hosts Bettendorf Tuesday at 5 p.m. in a junior varsity/varsity doubleheader.

GAME 1

IOWA CITY HIGH (3)
Hamm, p, 2 0 1 0, Simpson, cr, 0 1 0 0, Crosby, dh, 4 0 0 0, Stika, c, 0 0 0 0, Prybil, 1b, 2 1 1 2, Alberhasky, ss, 2 0 0 0, Mrstik, 3b, 3 0 0 0, Duncan, cf, 3 0 1 0, Wieland, 2b, 3 0 1 0, Hartley, lf, 3 0 0 0, Winegarden, rf, 2 1 1 0.  Totals 24 3 5 2

XAVIER (5)
Helms, ss, 3 0 0 0, Woods, 3b, 3 1 1 0, Even, 2b, 2 1 1 0, Mattke, p, 3 0 2 2, Sodawasser, cr, 0 1 0 0, Ries, cf, 3 1 1 0, Hosch, 1b, 3 0 0 1, Zenisek, rf, 3 1 1 1, McNeal lf, 3 0 1 0, Brecht, c, 3 0 1 0, Brown, cr, 0 0 0 0.  Totals 26 5 8 1

Iowa City      201 000 0 - 3 5
Xavier           000 203 X - 5 8

Hamm and Stika.  Mattke and Brecht.  W - Mattke. L - Hamm. 2B - Mattke.  HR - Prybil. SB - Wood, Even 2, Zenisek.


GAME 2

IOWA CITY (0)
Hamm, p, 2 0 0 0, Crosby, dh, 2 0 0 0, Wieland, 2b, 1 0 0 0, Prybil, 1b, 1 0 1 0, Alberhasky, ss, 3 0 0 0, Mrstik, 3b, 3 0 1 0, Duncan, cf, 3 0 1 0, Simpson, lf, 2 0 0 0, Hartley, lf, 1 0 0 0, Winegarden, rf, 3 0 1 0, Stika, c, 3 0 0 0 Totals 26 0 4 3

XAVIER (5)
Helms, ss, 3 1 1 0, Woods, 3b, 2 0 0 0, Even, 2b, 3 0 0 0, Mattke, dh, 3 0 2 1, Mehring, p, 0 0 0 0, Ries, cf, 3 0 0 0, Hosch, 1b, 3 0 0 0, Zenisek, rf, 3 0 0 0, McNeal lf, 3 1 1 0, Brecht, c, 2 0 0 0, Brown, cr, 0 0 0 0. Totals 25 2 4 0

Iowa City      000 000 0 - 0 4
Xavier           110 000 X - 2 4

Mrstik and Stika.  Mehring and Brecht.  W - Mehring.  L - Mrstik. 2B - Mrstik, Mattke SB - McNeal.

McNeal quiets West bats

IOWA CITY -- Iowa City West is used to putting big numbers up on the scoreboard. Xavier pitcher Ean McNeal allowed them to take a break from that Friday night.

McNeal pitched a complete game and held the potent West offense to two runs on five hits, helping Xavier to a 5-2 win in the second game of a Mississippi Valley Conference baseball doubleheader at West High School. West took the opener 10-1.

McNeal challenged the West hitters with his fastball and let his defense do the work.

“I tried mixing up my pitches a lot. I didn’t have the changeup working well so I just tried to keep the two-seam and four-seam (fastballs) down towards the knees
and it worked,” said McNeal.

Both teams had pitchers who were lighting up the radar gun on West High’s scoreboard. Xavier Coach Dave Schemmel thought McNeal’s velocity was a key in the Saints' win.

“He was as aggressive a pitcher as he has been all year," Schemmel said. "Tonight he just went after them and threw a lot of hard stuff early, and they didn’t expect it. He threw harder tonight than he has all year.”

The nightcap also saw Xavier coming alive at the plate, scoring a run in each of the first four innings. In the fifth, sophomore Corbin Woods blasted a solo home run over the right field wall, making the score 5-2. Blake Helms had three hits and an RBI and Alex Ries added two RBIs for the Saints.

“We needed to get our foot down and be ready because they were throwing hard,” said Schemmel. “We haven’t seen that many hard throwers this year so it takes a little time to get going. We had a lot of guys come up with nice hits.”

In the opener, Iowa City West dominated offensively, collecting 14 hits.

“We didn’t pitch well in the first game," Schemmel said. "When we get good pitching we generally get good defense.”

This matchup had MVC implications. The Saints (13-5, 8-4) are tied with Dubuque Hempstead atop the Valley Division and West (12-8, 6-6) is tied for third, two games behind. The Xavier team wanted a sweep, but McNeal said they are happy with getting a victory in hostile territory.

“We are content with the win," he said. "We wanted to prove to everyone we could sweep the state runnerup, but we still got one so that was good.”

West finished second in the Class 4A state tournament last summer, losing to Kennedy in the championship.

Xavier hosts Iowa City High in a doubleheader Monday. West is at Jefferson for a pair of games Monday.

Game 1

XAVIER (1)
Helms, ss, 4 0 1 0, Woods, 3b, 4 0 0 0, Even, 2b, 3 0 1 0, Mattke, 1b, 3 0 0 0, Ries, cf, 3 0 1 0, Hosch, dh, 3 0 1 0, McNeal, lf, 3 0 1 0, Zenisek, rf, 3 0 1 0, Brecht, c, 3 0 1 0  Totals  29 1 6 0.

WEST (10)
Peller, cf, 4 2 2 0, Siems, 4 2 2 2, Rumpf, dh, 4 1 1 1, Bonner, 1b, 4 1 2 3, Reiners, lf, 4 1 2 0, Cronk, p, 3 0 0 0, Crimmins, ss, 4 0 0 1, Shreck, 3b, 3 0 2 1, Franz, 2b, 4 2 1 0, Beasley, 1 0 0 0, Kuepker, 1 1 1 1, Ewing, 1 0 1 1  Totals   37 10 14 10.

Xavier     010 000 0  -   1   6 1
IC West  331 102 x  -  10 14 1

Mehring, Even (3), Hines (6) and Brecht. Cronk, Ross (7)  and Baker  W –Cronk.  L – Mehring. 2B- Siems, Rumpf, Reiners, Kuepker. SB- Even, Peller 2, Siems, Franz 2.

Game 2

XAVIER (5)
Helms, ss, 4 1 3 1, Woods, 3b, 4 1 2 2 , Even, 2b, 4 1 2 0, Mattke, dh, 4 0 0 0, Ries, cf, 4 1 0 2, Hosch, 1b, 4 0 0 0, Mehring, lf, 4 0 1 0, Zenisek, 4 2 1 0, Brecht, c, 4 0 0 0  Totals 36 5 10 5.

WEST (2)
Peller, cf, 3 1 1 0, Seims, rf, 3 0 0 0, Rumpf, dh, 3 0 1 1, Bonner, 1b, 3 0 0 0, Reiners, lf, 3 0 0 0, Cronk, ss, 3 1 1 0, Crimmins, p, 2 0 0 0, Schreck, 3b, 3 0 1 0, Franz, 2b, 2 0 1 0, Ewing, 1 0 0 0 Totals 26 2 5 1

Xavier        111 101 0  -   5 10 0
IC West     000 110 0  -   2  5 3

McNeal and Brecht.  Crimmins, Yoder (4), Schreck (6) and Baker.  W – McNeal.  L – Crimmins. 2B- Zenisek.  HR-Woods  SB- Ries, Peller, Bonner.