Pat Harty

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – As members of the Linn-Mar baseball team celebrated a berth to the state tournament on Wednesday, a much different team meeting was being held in right field at Mercer Park.

City High coach Brian Mitchell huddled with his players and tried to help soften the blow of coming so agonizingly close to achieving a long-standing goal.

The Little Hawks saw their dream of making it to the state tournament for the first time since 2003 end with a 6-2 loss to Linn-Mar in a Class 4A substate final that was delayed for approximately one hour with two outs in the top of the fifth inning because of the threat of lightning.

Linn-Mar, which had been swept by City High in the regular season, was clinging to a 2-0 lead when the game was stopped.

“With that delay there, we kind of thought it would help us, but we just weren’t able to command the zone there and got a little bit out of reach,” Mitchell said. “But I still say we felt, even to that last inning, we had a chance.”

Mitchell was referring Bryce Frantz’s struggles on the mound after he came in to relieve starter Brett McCleary with two outs in the fifth. The usually reliable Frantz walked in two runs and a Little Hawk error helped Linn-Mar score another run in what proved to be a five-run inning for the Lions.

“He just wasn’t clean,” Mitchell said of Frantz, who is one of 11 seniors on the Little Hawk roster and a key piece to City High’s resurgence in baseball. “He started getting a little bit better there as we went.

“But it was tough situation for him. He’s typically been a starter and I just think he was racing a little bit.”

Linn-Mar improved to 21-18 on the season and advances to the state tournament for the first time since 2013, while City High ended with a 29-13 record.

Mitchell nearly broke down as he talked about his team, which entered Wednesday’s game ranked fourth in Class 4A.

The seniors took their lumps while building for this season, but they persevered and almost won 30 games, which City High hasn’t done in over a decade.

“I said I loved them,” Mitchell said when asked what his message was to his players. “We spend an unbelievable amount of time with them. Our seniors, the way they went about everything, really taught a lot of people lessons about how to really work hard and go at it.

“This is the most fun group you could be around. And it’s just really said for all of us.”

Some of the Little Hawk players were overcome by emotion after the game. They shared tearful embraces with each other and with their coaches, while about 50 yards away the Linn-Mar players celebrated their milestone moment with family and friends.

“I think over the course of the season we did get things done that we expected to do and that we wanted to do,” McCleary said. “The fact that it had to end like this, no one is happy, but this is a great group of guys. And in a way, I think this (senior) class is leaving this culture here at City High to where I wouldn’t expect anything less next year.”

With so many accomplished seniors on the City High roster, this season had the potential to be special and was in many ways.

In addition to winning 29 games, the Little Hawks also captured a share of the Mississippi Valley Conference title.

“They know it and we’ve already talked about it,” Mitchell said. “We tried not to make this bigger than what it was. Obviously, they know it’s a big deal. It is a big deal to us. But they know they had a terrific season.

“And ultimately, this is the game of baseball and one game can be tough. And it just didn’t go our way today.”

Linn-Mar scored one run in the top of the first inning and never trailed in the game.

The Little Hawks finally broke through in the fifth when senior shortstop Caleb Sass scored on a single by senior catcher Zach Stone.

City High added another run in the seventh inning, but it was too little and too late.

“They’re obviously playing their best baseball at the best time of the year and they came in here and they won,” McCleary said of Linn-Mar. “They came in here hot and they did exactly what they wanted to do.

“It may not have gone our way, but we have to move on.”

For McCleary, that means preparing to play baseball for the University of Iowa next season as a preferred walk-on. McCleary played a number of roles for the Little Hawks, including being a starting pitcher, a catcher, a first baseman and a force at the plate.

McCleary wasn’t really looking at the big picture in the moments after Wednesday’s loss. But he and the other seniors will come to appreciate what they accomplished and will cherish the memories of being a Little Hawk baseball player forever.

“From a team standpoint, this group of guys is just special,” McCleary said. “When I look at every one of them, you have a relationship and you can go hang out with them or come to the cages, whatever it is.

“That’s special as a team.”

Linn-Mar         100  050  0  –  6  7  1

City High        000  010  1  –  2  6  3

Josh Strauss, Joshua Hilsenbeck (6) and Ben Diestler; Brett McCleary, Bryce Frantz (5) and Zach Stone

W – Josh Strauss         L – Brett McCleary

2B – LM: Kirby Kerr