Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – City High coach Jeff Koenig wasn’t looking to make excuses following a doubleheader sweep at the hands of Class 5A seventh-ranked Cedar Rapids Kennedy on Friday.

Koenig also wasn’t going to dwell on the back-to-back losses to the Cougars.

After Cedar Rapids Kennedy (11-5) won games 15-1 and 9-0 over City High in a Mississippi Valley Conference doubleheader at Mercer Park in Iowa City Koenig gave full credit to the Cougars.

“They are a good team, they are a good team that can pitch,” Koenig said. “That is probably the only team that we will see in this area that can pitch you two deep. They can bring a one and a legitimate two that you are going to struggle against most nights.”

Then Koenig was already looking ahead to a five-game road schedule next week that includes MVC doubleheaders at Cedar Falls and Linn-Mar.

“We have to flush this, as bad as it felt tonight we can’t dwell on it,” Koenig said. “If we can get four (wins) next week that starts to move us back up to where we want to be to bode well for regionals.”

City High (8-12) never got anything going on Friday against Cedar Rapids Kennedy senior ace Lily Knutson.

Knutson tossed two hitless innings with four strikeouts in a 15-1 win in the opener and closed the doubleheader by spinning a two-hit shutout with nine strikeouts in the nightcap.

The senior righthander improved to 7-2 on the season while lowering her ERA to .50.

City High managed just a pair of singles in both games.

Eliza Mitchell and Ellie Fraga singled in the opener and Eve Vitense and Maeve Obermueller had singles in game two.

“A pitcher like that tonight I think she threw first pitch strike probably about 98 percent of the time,” Koenig said. “A couple of our hits came swinging first pitch because we knew she was going to be in the strike zone first pitch and then she was going to start to work on what she wants you to chase.”

City High now turns its attention to the next two weeks and turning around a string of six losses in seven games.

After five road games next week the Little Hawks return home to face Waterloo West and West High.

“I think next week could be that week where you look back at the season and say, ‘hey that’s where it turned for us’,” Koenig said. “We could go on a streak and all of a sudden be right back to where we need to be.”

Game 1

CR Kennedy              258  0  –  15  11  1

City High                   001  0  –   1    2   1     

W – Lily Knutson                   L – Sophie Price

2B – CRK: Teagan Chrisman, Peyton Stineman, Lily Knutson, Natalie Hora

HR – CRK: Dylan Amling (2)

Game 2

CR Kennedy             432  00  –  9  15  0

City High                   000  00  –  0  2  5

W – Lily Knutson                   L – Quinn Brende

2B – CRK: Lily Knutson (2), Dylan Amling, Peyton Stineman

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