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Cougars stake claim to annual game

Fifth-ranked Cedar Rapids Kennedy bombards Bobcats for 18-1 victory

T-R PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE - Marshalltown second baseman Caleb Kusserow (18) readies to throw to first baseman Zander Stupp (31) in an attempt to turn a double play during Monday’s baseball game against Cedar Rapids Kennedy. Cougars baserunner Trevor Scott, left, was forced out on the play, but fifth-ranked Kennedy collected an 18-1, four-inning victory over the host Bobcats.

The Cedar Rapids Kennedy coaching staff tipped its caps to former Marshalltown baseball coach Steve Hanson from across the diamond as the Cougars’ pickoff attempt failed in the third inning of Monday’s annual Memorial Day meeting.

Kennedy faked an errant throw into center field, nearly pulling Marshalltown senior Seth Smith from his perch on second base. It was a play Smith had executed himself a time or two, and a play Hanson helped teach the Cougars during his brief stint as an assistant coach between retiring in 2019 and rejoining the Bobcat bench this season.

It was an homage to Hanson, who doffed his cap in return. And it was an indication of power from a Kennedy program that was in total control of Monday’s game.

The Class 4A No. 5 Cougars (11-2) pounded out 17 hits and piled up an 18-1, four-inning victory over the youthful Bobcats, who suffered their eighth-straight defeat.

Smith had one of Marshalltown’s five hits and scored the team’s only run, not long after his wobbly knees nearly pulled him from second base on a pickoff attempt in which Kennedy pitcher Ethan Bartling never threw the ball.

T-R PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE - Marshalltown’s Seth Smith, center, dives safely back to first base on a pickoff attempt during the first inning of Monday’s baseball game against Cedar Rapids Kennedy.

Instead, Grant Greazel’s infield single and subsequent throwing error allowed Smith to score without a play. Keiler Blue also followed with a hit, but that was the best rally the Bobcats (1-8) could summon on this day.

Eight of Cedar Rapids Kennedy’s 17 hits went for extra bases, including a two-run homer by Matthew Stoltenberg to kick off the Cougars’ 10-run explosion in the top of the second.

Falling behind in the count was what sparked the eruption, MHS interim head coach Allen Mann said.

“We need to continue to work on getting ahead with strike one, especially when we play teams like Kennedy that we’ll run into at some point in the postseason that can swing it really well,” he said. “If we can get ahead in counts and then from there we need to be able to throw changeup/curveball and that will give us a better shot. Until we can do that, it’s going to be a lot of results kind of like how the last week has gone.

“But I’m confident that the kids know they need to improve on those areas, so we’ve just got to work at it now.”

T-R PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE - Marshalltown third baseman Tayven Dutton throws on the run to first base in an attempt to get an out during Monday’s game against Cedar Rapids Kennedy.

Six Marshalltown pitchers combined to throw first-pitch strikes to 19 of Kennedy’s 39 batters — just 48.7 percent. The Cougars’ four pitchers hit the catcher’s mit 15 out of 18 times for strike one — 83.3 percent.

If nothing else, Mann is encouraged by the fact that he knows his players will work to be better at that aspect of the game and more as the summer rolls along.

“One thing we talked about as a staff is we’ve been happy with how the kids continue to compete, even when things aren’t going well,” Mann said. “We’ve been talking about limiting damage, so getting that snowball stopped so it doesn’t continue rolling down the hill — we still need to improve in that aspect, but the kids have been great. The effort’s there, they’re starting to move and understand where they’re supposed to go with the baseball, but we just need to execute better.”

Smith was tagged for the loss as Marshalltown’s starting pitcher, even though he surrendered just one run in the top of the first. A triple by Nolan Grawe and a double by Ty Donels accounted for Kennedy’s icebreaker, but Smith and his defense wriggled around a two-out walk to get the final out and strand two runners on base.

The next four Bobcat hurlers weren’t as fortunate, as Kennedy tallied at least three runs against Tayven Dutton, Caleb Kusserow, Greazel and Blue the rest of the way. Nick Wise allowed the final two runs, but only one was earned to the freshman right-hander.

Rowan Donels, Grant Mather, Jace Scott, Trevor Scott and Stoltenberg had two hits apiece to lead the Cougars to their fourth win in a row.

“They’re the standard,” Mann said, “and that’s where we need to be. We need to get back to a standpoint where we’re competing with whoever it is that shows up and we’re not going to shy away from it — and our kids know that. I don’t think they were scared or anything coming into today, but it’s a reminder that we have a ways to go as a program. But I do think everything we’ve done the last two months and up to this point, I think we’re in a better place now than we were then so I’m excited for what the future has in store for us.”

Greazel finished 2-for-2 at the plate, while Smith, Blue and Jacob Hayes added singles for MHS.

Kennedy pitchers Owen Hutchinson, Colby Dolphin, Bartling and Lincoln Meyers each worked one inning to combine on the five-hitter. Meyers ended the game with a 1-2-3 frame in the bottom of the fourth.

“We were more aggressive offensively early in counts, which is what we like to see,” Mann said of his batting order. “An emphasis through Newton and through Roosevelt, we were taking a lot of fastballs early in the count and we’ve talked about it with the kids and we’ve worked on it in batting practice. Today was the first time that they were more willing to go up there and take an aggressive swing, so that was probably the most encouraging thing we saw today.”

The Bobcats continue along with Wednesday’s 3:30 p.m. doubleheader at Des Moines Lincoln and Friday’s 7 p.m. home game against Ballard.

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