Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – Pitching and defense has been a big part reason City High has reached the state tournament each of the past three seasons.

If the Little Hawks continue to hit the baseball the way they did on Monday night they should be in for another deep postseason push later this month.

Class 4A sixth-ranked City High slammed 24 hits and scored 21 runs while sweeping cross-town rival West High in a Mississippi Valley Conference cross-divisional doubleheader in Iowa City.

“Our hitting, we know it’s all there, it’s all mental because we know we can hit,” City High senior Drake Obermueller said. “When we hit like that, I don’t think there is a team that can beat us in the state because our pitching and defense will always be there.”

Adam Bowman and Owen Hicks combined on a three-hit shutout in a 6-0 City High win in the opener and Obermueller shined on the mound and at the plate in a 15-3 six-inning Little Hawk win in the nightcap.

City High had 10 hits in the opener and slugged 14 more in the nightcap, half of which went for extra bases as the Little Hawks improved to 23-7.

“I know we can hit and I know we can hit at a high level and clearly there has been times this season you could see that but it was just so nice to see some of our kids take the top off and free themselves up,” West High coach Brian Mitchell said. “We had an aggressive mindset and got pitches to hit and we did real damage with those pitches.”

Bowman set the tone for the doubleheader early, working five strong innings in game one.

The junior right-hander struck out three and allowed just two baserunners in five shutout innings.

“I had to work out the nerves in the first couple of innings, this is the biggest rivalry for the year,” Bowman said. “My command was there. I was working the zone.”

West High (16-16) got a two-out double by ninth place hitter Ely Smock in the third and a two-out single by Chase Bopp but that’s all they could muster against Bowman who improved to 6-0 on the season and lowered his team-leading ERA to .91.

“He’s been great all season,” Mitchell said of Bowman. “He’s got good velo and he has a really good curveball and I think those pitches work off of each other really well.”

Dominic Salibi had three hits in the opener while Paxton Bell and Obermueller each had two hits including a double.

Bell and Parker Sutherland each drove in two runs in the 6-0 game-one win.

City High really got its offense rolling in the nightcap.

Obermueller, Blaine Heick and Owen Hicks all homered in the 15-3 win that featured seven City High extra-base hits.

“Our bats are really starting to come around,” Bowman said. “It was a little slow to start the year but our bats have really gotten hot.”

City High scored single runs in the second and third innings before breaking the game opener with a four-run fourth.

Obermueller and Heick each hit two-run homeruns in the four-run Little Hawk fourth.

“When we can go out and shut them down like that in the first game it just sets us up for success,” Obermueller said. “When we have hitters hitting like that it takes all the stress off of you as a pitcher.”

Obermueller picked up the win in the nightcap, striking out nine in the six-inning complete game.

“Everything was going well,” Obermueller said. “My fastball slider and curveball were all working and I was able to really get ahead and try to put them away with the slider or curveball. When I have that three-pitch mix going it’s really tough for them.”

Heick and Obermueller each had three hits, homered and drove in three runs in the nightcap.

Sutherland had two hits and hits had two hits and scored three runs.

Nine different Little Hawks had a hit in the game-two win.

“When your pitching and defense is that good and all of a sudden you start swinging it man it’s really good,” Mitchell said.

Game 1

City High                   000  330  0  –  6  10  1

West High                  000  000  0  –  0   3   2

W – Adam Bowman                           L – Kyle Henkenius

2B – ICW: Ely Smock. ICH: Andrew Panzer, Paxton Bell, Drake Obermueller

Game 2

City High                   011  427  –  15  14  1

West High                  000  210  –   3    5   1

W – Drake Obermueller                      L – Henry Elser

2B – ICW: Chase Bopp. ICH: Jaxton Schroeder, Blaine Heick, Talon Young

3B – ICH: Drake Obermueller

HR – ICH: Drake Obermueller, Blaine Heick, Owen Hicks

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