Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – Before Jaxton Schroeder even threw his first warmup pitch prior to Wednesay’s substate final the City High senior had a feeling.

“I went out and played catch and I told (catcher) Talon (Young) it was going to be a good day,” Schroeder said. “I was feeling good right from the start.”

Schroeder was better than good on Wednesday.

The senior left-hander was brilliant in the biggest game of the season.

Schroeder struck out nine in a three-hit shutout as fourth-ranked City High secured a fourth consecutive state tournament appearance with a 1-0 shutout of seventh-ranked Indianola (32-6) in the Class 4A, Substate 6 title game at Duane Banks Field in Iowa City.

“It feels amazing, it’s surreal to be going back to state a fourth time in a row,” Schroeder said. “It’s a great feeling knowing you are at your best and it’s in the best moment.”

Schroeder had five strikeouts over the final three innings, escaping jams in both the sixth and seventh innings as City High advanced to the state tournament for the fifth time in the past six seasons.

City High (30-9) will face No. 10 Waukee (25-13) in a Class 4A quarterfinal on Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. at Lewis & Clark Park in Sioux City.

“I’ve seen him be good before but that was as good as it gets across the board,” City High coach Brian Mitchell said of Schroeder. “He was dialed in on the mound, his intensity level was really good, his velo stayed up pretty good and he was making pitches across the board when he needed to.”

Talon Young plated the game’s only run with a two-out RBI single to center field that scored Paxton Bell in the fifth inning.

“I popped out the first two at bats, I was just out in front so I was just really focusing on stay low and getting my hands through the ball and staying down and through it,” Young said. “I got the pitch I wanted and I drove it.”

Senior Kendall Kurtz led off the City High fifth with a single to center and Bell reached on a perfectly placed bunt down the third base line.

Indianola turned a 5-3 double play leaving Bell at second with two outs for Young who lined a two-strike pitch to center field for what turned out to be the game-winner.

“We were on him about getting after the swing and that swing he got after it,” Mitchell said Young’s RBI single. “He crushed that ball. A huge hit at a big time.”

Schroeder worked out of a huge jam in the sixth to preserve the lead.

Indianola ninth place hitter Zach Benge led off the sixth with a double to right center and Andrew DeWall reached on a fielder choice when Schroeder tried to get Benge at third on a DeWall bunt.

With runners on second and third with no out Schroeder got Dallas Harlan to ground out to Owen Hick at short for the first out.

Following an intentional walk to George Blake, Schroeder got back-to-back strikeouts to end the threat.

“I just trusted my stuff,” Schroeder said. “We put the guy on first with the walk and I knew the double play was going to be there. I didn’t end up getting the ground ball I got the strikeouts but I just trusted my stuff.”

Indianola put two on with no out to start the seventh on a hit by pitch and fielding error but Schroeder again came up big.

He got a flyout to center field for the first out and fanned Benge for the second before getting DeWall to bounce to short for the final out.

“Jax pitching like that was awesome,” City High senior second baseman Drake Obermueller said. “I wish we could have put up 10 runs but when you have Jax pitching like that it takes pressure off you knowing that if we get one run across the board we can win.”

Schroeder allowed just three singles, walked one and hit a batter in the complete game win.

“He wanted that game and you could tell it,” Mitchell said. “I am super proud of him because he struggled the last two outings. We weren’t sure if he was 100 percent and he was great tonight.”

Indianola                    000  000  0  –  0  3  1

City High                   000  010  x  –  1  6  2 

W – Jaxton Schroeder                         L – Bryant Ritchie

2B – IND: Zach Benge

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