Jefferson High School - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

J-Hawks relying on 'Pete' to get back to state

Just call her “Pete,” like everyone else does.

“If someone says ‘Hannah,’ my teammates are like, ‘Who’s that?’,” says Hannah “Pete” Petersen, ace pitcher for the past five years for the Jefferson softball team.

She’s also a slugger from the left side of the plate, with a career batting average well over .300 (and close to .400 this year).

But it’s on her strong left arm that the J-Hawks depend. It’s capable of blowing the ball past batters.

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J-Hawks salvage split with win over Solon

OTTUMWA -- Jefferson split a pair of games in the Ottumwa Classic softball tournament Friday.

The Class 5A No. 4 J-Hawks (33-5) were beaten by Southeast Polk, 9-2, but bounced back to beat Solon, 3-2.

Kenna Fry drove in Savannah Fowler with the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning to beat Solon, the top-ranked team in Class 3A. Maddie Koolbeck had an RBI double and Carson Burgart a run-scoring single for the J-Hawks.

Hannah Petersen had two hits, and Hansen and Burgart each drove in a run for Jefferson against Southeast Polk.

J-Hawks split with Hempstead

DUBUQUE -- Jefferson split a Mississippi Valley Conference baseball doubleheader against Dubuque Hempstead on Friday at Dick Core Field.

Hempstead won the opener, 5-3. Jefferson took the nightcap, 1-0. The second game was called after five innings because of lightning.

In the third inning of the nightcap, Dylan Jellison's one-out sinking liner eluded Hempstead right fielder David Fitzgerald and rolled past for a triple. Christian Knox followed with a grounder to short that drove home Jellison with the only run of the game.

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J-Hawks clinch MVC softball title

DUBUQUE -- Jefferson swept a pair of softball games from Dubuque Hempstead on Thursday to clinch the Mississippi Valley Conference Valley Division title.

The fourth-ranked J-Hawks whipped Hempstead 12-0 and 6-2.

Jefferson (32-4, 23-1) clinched the title when Iowa City West split its doubleheader with Dubuque Wahlert, dropping the Women of Troy three games behind the J-Hawks with two to play.

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J-Hawks and Rams trade blowouts

There's an old baseball bromide that goes "What goes around comes around."

What went around in Wednesday's opener between Dubuque Senior and Jefferson came whipping back around the other way in the nightcap.

Sam Techau belted two home runs and Jefferson banged out 13 hits and whipped Senior, 12-5, in the opener.

The Rams belted five home runs -- two by Dylan Merritt -- among their 14 hits and claimed the nightcap, 15-5.

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No. 4 J-Hawks crush City High

After being held to one hit and humbled by Creston in a 1-0 loss in its own tournament Saturday, Jefferson bounded back big Tuesday night at home by bombarding Iowa City High, 12-0 and 11-0.

Besides having hot bats, the fourth-ranked J-Hawks had solid pitching performances from Hannah “Pete” Petersen and Brooke Stauffer in running their season marks to 30-4 overall and 21-1 in the Mississippi Valley Conference.

“Everything worked tonight,” said Jefferson assistant coach Nick Niemeyer. “We hit the ball well, our defense was good and we got great pitching. Two good wins.”

Niemeyer was substituting for his father Larry, who was hospitalized Friday with a bowel obstruction and is expected to be released on Wednesday. His status for Thursday’s doubleheader at Dubuque Hempstead is uncertain.

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Jourdan and J-Hawks bounce West twice

There are a lot of players in high school baseball playing both games of a doubleheader.

Not many can bounce back from pitching a complete game in the opener and catch all seven innings of the nightcap.

Jefferson's Colten Jourdan is one such player.

Jourdan scattered six hits and struck out seven in the first game of Monday's twinbill against Waterloo West at Jefferson. The J-Hawks won, 8-1. He caught the nightcap and had a squeeze bunt that plated the go-ahead run in the nightcap and the J-Hawks won, 9-4.

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J-Hawks clipped by Creston; maul Mustangs

Jefferson split a pair of softball games Saturday at the Jefferson Classic.

The J-Hawks, ranked fourth in Class 5A, dropped a 1-0, nine-inning decision to Class 4A No. 5 Creston, then bounced back and whipped Mount Vernon, 11-1.

Jefferson (28-4) was limited to one hit, a seventh-inning double by Hannah McInerney, against Creston. Madison Frain was the winning pitcher and she also had the game-winning hit. Hannah Petersen took the loss, despite allowing only three hits.

Brooke Stauffer tossed a six-inning no-hitter against Mount Vernon.

Jefferson Coach Larry Niemeyer did not attend the games. His son Nick guided the J-Hawks in his absence and told the players his father was in the hospital. Larry Niemeyer was hospitalized earlier this month with kidney problems.

J-Hawks maul - then escape - Cougars

Jefferson banged out 18 hits, including a home run by Maddie Koolbeck, and whipped Kennedy 18-0 in three innings in the opener of a Mississippi Valley Conference softball doubleheader Thursday night at Jefferson.

Hannah Petersen tossed a no-hitter in the opener, but then had to come on in relief in the nightcap and gain a save as the No. 7 J-Hawks escaped with an 8-5 win.

Jefferson (27-3, 19-1) built its lead to two games over Iowa City West in the Valley Division with six to play. West split a doubleheader against Mississippi Division leader Dubuque Senior.

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