Your Prep Sports

Solon had used a combination of strong pitching and good hitting on its way to 30 wins this season.

The Spartans simply slugged their way to win 31 and a spot in the Class 3A, Substate 5 final on Monday.

Fifth-ranked Solon homered four times and had eight extra-base hits in a 17-9 win over Clear Creek Amana (19-20) in the District 9 title game in Solon.

Luke Ira hit his school record 19th home run of the season and Kendrick Harris, Zach Wegmann and Spencer Wegmann all homered as Solon pushed its state-leading long ball total to 40.

Solon (31-10) will host Fairfield (30-8) in the Substate 5 title game on Wednesday at 7 p.m. with a trip to the state tournament on the line.

Clear Creek Amana jumped on Ira early with four runs in the first inning but Solon responded with a seven-run first inning of its own.

The Spartans scored the next 14 runs after the four-run Clippers first inning and rolled to its 12th win in its last 14 games.

Solon has scored 10 or more runs eight times in its last 14 games and has put up 15 or more runs in each of its last three.

Everyone in the Solon lineup got into the offensive outburst on Monday.

Eight different Spartans had a hit, four with multiple hits, and six different players drove in at least two runs.

Ira led the charge going 3-for-4 with a double, a home run and two RBI while Harris was 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBI.

Ira hit his state leading 19th home run in the sixth inning and Harris followed with his fifth of the season for back-to-back homers to cap the night.

Spencer Wegmann had a three-run homer in the third inning and drove in four runs and Zach Wegmann launched a solo homer in the fifth and finished 3-for-4 with a double and three RBI.

Tyler Linderbaum had two hits including a double and drove in two runs and Cam Miller had a hit, drove in two runs and scored twice.

Ira earned the win, allowing nine runs on nine hits while striking out 12 in 6 2/3 innings.

David Jensen had a big night for Clear Creek Amana in the loss going 2-for-3 with a double, two runs scored and three RBI.

Grant Jensen doubled and drove in two runs and Tyler Schrepfer had a hit and an RBI.

Sam Young, TJ Bollers, Camden Armstrong and Camden Smyka all had a hit and scored a run and Cody Ogden scored three runs.

Clear Creek Amana    400  040  1  –   9   10  4         

Solon                        715  112  x  –  17  15  3

W – Luke Ira               L – Cody Ogden

2B – SOL: Luke Ira, Tyler Linderbaum, Adam Bock, Zach Wegmann. CCA: David Jensen, TJ Bollers, Grant Jensen

HR – SOL: Luke Ira, Kendrick Harris, Zach Wegmann, Spencer Wegmann 

Fairfield Rallies Past Liberty High

Liberty High had a strong inaugural season come to an end on Monday night but the Lightning didn’t go quietly.

Fairfield (30-8) scored four unanswered runs in the fifth and sixth innings to rally from a 4-2 deficit on its way to a 6-4 win over Liberty High in the Class 3A, District 10 title game in Fairfield.

Liberty High closed the season 11-22 while Fairfield advanced to the 3A, Substate 5 title game at fifth-ranked Solon on Wednesday.

Fairfield took a 2-0 lead in the first inning when Kosta Papazoglou led off with a single and Hunter Hoskins launched a two-run homer to left center.

Liberty High wouldn’t go away.

The Lightning got a run back in the third when TJ Kimm drew a lead off walk and scored on a Tyler Dahm double.

Liberty High took its first lead of the game the following inning when Keian Secrist drew a leadoff walk and Sam Funke singled and Kimm plated them both with a two-run double.

It was 4-2 Liberty High after Isaac Bender scored in the fifth on a two-out RBI single by Secrist.

Fairfield responded with two runs in the bottom of the fifth and took the lead for good on a Papazoglou RBI double in the sixth.

Kimm went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI to lead Liberty High while Dahn was 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI.

Nolan Frey, Secrist and Funke all had hits and Bender, Secrist and Kimm scored for Liberty.

Ethan O’Donnell took the loss allowing five runs, three earnred on seven hits in 5 1/3.

Liberty High   001  210  0  –  4  5  3

Fairfield         200  022  x  –  6  9  1

W – Graham Kuehl                 L – Ethan O’Donnell SV – Kosta Papazoglou

2B – ICL: Tyler Dahm, TJ Kimm; FAI: Kosta Papazoglou, Tristin Waugh

HR – FAI: Hunter Hoskins