Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – The offensive approach for the City High baseball team is centered around attacking.

When executed correctly it can be a thing of beauty that borders on chaotic.

The Little Hawks want to put opposing teams under constant pressure with a barrage of aggressive baserunning, bunting and all-out strategic baseball that stresses pitchers, catcher and fielders.

Step one in the City High plan is getting guys on base.

Joey Bouska and his City High teammates did that, and just about everything else, to near perfection on Thursday evening.

Bouska reached base four times and scored four runs as Class 4A seventh-ranked City High (24-9, 20-5) downed West High 13-3 in six innings in a Mississippi Valley Conference matchup at West High.

“That’s our plan is get out there and get runners on base, put pressure on them and make them make plays,” Bouska said. “Our play speaks for itself.”

Bouska had three hits from his leadoff spot and joined teammate Carter Seaton in scoring four runs as City High won its third straight game in the last two days.

John Klosterman worked four strong innings to pick up the win as City High won for the second time in the last three meetings with West High (17-11, 12-10).
The two teams will close out the regular season series on Friday at 7 p.m. at Mercer Park in Iowa City.

“This is big for us, it gives us a lot of confidence,” Bouska said. “We had a lot of guys swinging it tonight and we want to build off it and get another one tomorrow night.”

City High put its patented pressure-oriented offensive plan into action early on Thursday.

Bouska led off the game with an infield single and Seaton followed with a perfectly placed sacrifice bunt down the third base line that resulted in a West High throwing error that scored a run and moved Seaton to third.

Seaton scored on a Gable Mitchell RBI groundout that made the score 2-0 three batters into the game.

“I think sometimes we over hype this game but that is to be expected but that set the tone for us and I think it set them back a little bit,” City High coach Brian Mitchell said of the first inning. “It was huge for us.”

West High quickly cut the lead in half when Ian McAreavy lined a leadoff home run to left field in the bottom of the inning.

That would be the only run the Trojans would get off Klosterman who struck out five, walked two and allowed four hits in four innings.

“That was not what I wanted obviously out of the first at bat but I didn’t have my best stuff but I tried to battle and fight back,” Klosterman said. “It was not the amount of baserunners I wanted to give up but sometimes when you don’t have your stuff you just have to adapt.”

City High continued to apply pressure all game.

The Little Hawks had 11 hits coming from seven different players, took advantage of six walks and two hit by pitches and stole eight bases while posting the highest run total in a matchup between the two teams since West High scored 13 on June 3 of 2010.

“We always want to put pressure on the other team so getting guys on base and forcing the pitcher to throw strikes is a big thing for us,” Klosterman said. “You just have to battle and put pressure on the defense to make plays.”

City High scored in five of six innings on Thursday scoring twice in the third and four runs in both the fourth and fifth before putting up on in the sixth.

Bouska led the way going 3-for-4 with an RBI.

Klosterman joined Jacob Means with two hits and five different Little Hawks drove in a run led by Mitchell with four RBI.

“That’s our main focus is quality at bats, seeing pitches and having an approach,” Bouska said. “We want to go up there with an approach and be able to make adjustments.”

Cade Adkins had two hits for West High while Noah DeSaulniers and Ben Hoefer each had hits and Schuyler Houston and Marcus Morgan each scored runs.

“It’s just fun to get out here and compete with these guys,” Bouska said. “We know a lot of their players, we’ve played against them growing up so it’s fun getting out here and getting a chance to play against these guys.”

City High                     202  441  –  13  11  4

West High                  100  020  –   3    5   1

W – John Klosterman             L – Nathan Stephens

2B – ICH: Joey Bouska

HR – ICW: Ian McAreavy

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