Pleasant Valley Outlasts Liberty High in 12-Inning Substate Final Thriller
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
NORTH LIBERTY – As Liberty High coach Uby Martinez watched the Class 4A, Substate 8 semifinal on Tuesday awaiting to see who his team would play the following night he noticed something about Pleasant Valley.
“We saw them play last night and we said ‘they are a lot like we are’,” Martinez said of the Spartans.
Liberty High and Pleasant Valley certainly have their similarities with both teams built around pitching and defense and reliant on playing small ball on offense.
In Wednesday’s regional title game it was Pleasant Valley that executed that plan ever so slightly better.
Two pitchers combined for eight innings of scoreless relief and ninth-place hitter Jack Reiter provided the game-winning RBI single as Pleasant Valley (20-17) outlasted Liberty High 4-3 in 12 innings in a three plus hour regional title game in North Liberty.
“That’s one of the beautiful things about this game is there is no time limit and I don’t know how long it took tonight but I am just proud of them,” Pleasant Valley coach Derek Stecklein said. “They have a never give up mentality and that’s what it was and I couldn’t be more excited for this group.”
Pleasant Valley returns to the 4A state tournament for the first time since winning the 4A title in 2021.
The Spartans will face top-ranked Cedar Rapids Kennedy (33-4) in the quarterfinals on Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Cedar Rapids.
Liberty High had a string of two straight state tournament appearances end with the loss and closes the season 25-14.
“They are scrappy, and they don’t wow you but they are scrappy,” Martinez said. “It was one of those things where they capitalized on our mistakes and we couldn’t capitalize on theirs.”
Pleasant Valley scored a run in each of the first three innings and Liberty High scored three in the bottom of the second with sophomore Evan Schmierer coming up with a key two-run single.
Neither team would push across another run until the 12th when Reiter’s single through the left side of the infield plated Finnley Martinolich who led off the inning with a double down the left field line.
“It was a phenomenal game,” Martinez said. “I told the guys I was proud of them, they earned the one seed because we did what we had to do unfortunately there are only eight teams that get to keep playing.”
Liberty High starter Mason Waterbury who had allowed one earned run all season lasted only three innings giving up three runs, two earned, on six hits.
The Lightning bullpen was lights out.
Adam Olthoff pitched five scoreless innings of relief and Brayden Mayer allowed just one run on two hits in 3 1/3 strong innings.
Brady Zimmerman got the final two outs, stranding the bases loaded in the 12th.
“Waterbury didn’t have his good stuff today but our pitchers out of the bullpen were phenomenal,” Martinez said. “They did an amazing job and the good thing is those pitchers are coming back next year and that’s a good thing.”
Pleasant Valley got an equally impressive outing from its bullpen.
Ace Lincoln Dalton earned wins in each of the first two postseason games for the Spartans who turned to junior Bo Collingwood on Wednesday.
Collingwood allowed three runs on four hits in four innings before juniors Aiden Schaapveld and Adam Bratcher combined for eight scoreless innings of relief.
“All those guys have been really good this year so we had a ton of faith in them,” Stecklein said. “They were competing in some tough situations and never gave in and defensively we had to 6-u double plays in really big situations that we were able to get out of.”
Liberty High had opportunities to win the game in both the 11th and the 12th.
Jackson Khamphilanouvong led off the 11th with a single and after a failed bunt attempt Ryan Schmierer single to left to put runners on first and second with one out.
Bratcher got Evan Schmierer to bounce into the first of two double plays to Reiter who stepped on second and threw to first for the double play.
“It hurts a little bit when we couldn’t play our game,” Martinez said. “We had some chances and we couldn’t take advantage.”
Cooper Hughes led off the 12th with a single and Jayden Khamphilanouvong reached on an infield single but Bratcher induced another double play ground ball to Reiter and then got Liam Bender swinging to end the game.
“It seemed like at the tail end of the season we didn’t execute the way we did early in the season and that was huge,” Martinez said. “That’s something that is tough.”
Pleasant Valley 111 000 000 001 – 4 13 1
Liberty High 030 000 000 000 – 3 8 4
W – Adam Bratcher L – Brayden Mayer
2B – ICL: Liam Bender. PV: Finnley Martinolich
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