Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – Last season City High led an early lead slip away in a 5-3 regional quarterfinal loss to Waterloo West in its postseason opener.

The Little Hawks weren’t about to suffer a similar season-ending fate this season.

Class 5A No. 12 City High saw a two-run lead evaporate but got a game-winning single from freshman Vivienne Heller in the bottom of the eighth to earn a 5-4 win over Dubuque Hempstead (18-20) in a Region 8 semifinal on Saturday in Iowa City.

“When they scored the run to tie it up I was super nervous, so this feels really good,” Heller said.  “This is my first year making it past the first round of substate so I was just really proud of our team to win this game and get past this point.”

City High started nine players on Saturday that were in the lineup last season when the Little Hawks lost its postseason opener at home to Waterloo West.

The Little Hawks led 2-1 after four innings in that game.

On Saturday Dubuque Hempstead scored twice in the top of the seventh inning to tie the game at 4-4.

This season a more mature City High team had an answer.

“It’s kind of like last year where we struggled a little bit and this game felt a lot like that game last year,” City High sophomore Maeve Obermueller said. “Now we have all played together for a year at least so we all know what to do, we’ve been through it all.”

Freshman Even Vitense led off the City High eighth inning with a single up the middle and senior McKenzie Brown drew a one-out walk to set the stage for Heller.

“We’ve made a lot of growth and know how to handle things,” Vitense said. “We matured a lot as a team.”

Heller ripped a one-out single into the right center field gap to score Vitense with the game-winning run.

Prior to her at bat in the eighth Heller was 0-for-3 with a strikeout but came up with the game’s biggest hit.

“She was throwing me outside, both pitchers were throwing me outside all game and I was in kind of a slump, I hadn’t gotten on base all game,” Heller said. “I knew we needed a run and she threw me outside and I was ready for the pitch.”

City High will play at seventh-ranked Cedar Falls (29-9) in the Region 8 title game on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Robinson-Dresser Sports Complex in Cedar Falls.

Cedar Falls defeated Dubuque Senior 3-0 in a semifinal on Saturday.

“We know we can win these games,” City High sophomore Eliza Mitchell said. “We weren’t going to give up and we just have to put everything together to finish.”

Dubuque Hempstead took a 1-0 lead on the first of two home runs by senior cleanup hitter Luci Weber in the top of the fourth.

City High answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning.

Mitchell tied the game at 1-1 with a solo homer to right field.

“I was just thinking about getting on anyway, I wasn’t thinking about a home run,” Mitchell said. “It just happened and I’ve been working really hard to get those big hits so it felt good.”

Vitense followed with a double and score on a single by freshman Iyana Merino.

City High took a 4- lead with two more runs in the fifth Lianna Hull drew a leadoff walk and came around to score and Mitchell played Obermueller with a sacrifice fly.

Dubuque Hempstead wouldn’t go away.

A second solo homer by Weber cut the lead to 4-2 in the sixth and the Mustangs added two more runs in the top of the seventh, pulling even on an RBI single by sophomore Sophia Gratton.

Obermueller kept the game tied with a running catch of a Weber line drive near the centerfield fence to end the seventh.

“It’s just thinking every ball is mine,” Obermueller said. “If I can run it down it’s mine.”

City High went in order in the seventh inning but wasted no time coming up with the winning run in the bottom of the eighth

“Vivienne have that clutch hit at the end that was huge,” Obermueller said. “She knew she could do that, we all have confidence in each other and that helps to know we have each other’s backs.”

Dubuque Hempstead            000  101  20  –  4  13  2

City High                                   000  220  01  –  5   8   3

W – Lance Grulke-Mangrich                         L – Memphis Gibson

2B – ICH: Eve Vitense

HR – DH: Luci Weber (2). ICH: Eliza Mitchell

Did you enjoy this subscription free article? Help keep Your Prep Sports free by donating