Friday July 26th Local Sports

TODAY:

– AM-1300 KGLO, kgloam.com — Class 1A baseball state quarterfinal — Newman vs. Pekin — pre-game appx. 1:00, first pitch 1:30

DES MOINES — The Newman baseball team makes their 12th-straight appearance at the state baseball tournament today as the top-seeded and two-time defending champion Knights will face Pekin in a Class 1A quarterfinal round contest. Newman cruised to a 9-2 win over Newell-Fonda in Tuesday night’s substate game, while Pekin knocked off 4th-ranked Calamus-Wheatland 4-0 to win their substate championship game. The Knights are 35-3, sporting the fifth-best batting average statewide. Evan Paulus leads four batters who are hitting over .400 and also leads the pitching staff with a 1.49 ERA and 60 strikeouts. Pekin, who is 17-8 and is making their first state tournament appearance, is led by senior Tanner Bainbridge, who has a .487 batting average with 31 RBI. You can hear the Newman-Pekin game on AM-1300 KGLO and kgloam.com starting at about 1 o’clock with the pre-game, with first pitch at Principal Park slated for 1:30. The first game of the day at 11 o’clock will have #6 Don Bosco facing #9 Coon Rapids-Bayard. The other side of the 1A bracket will be played on Saturday during the day, with #3 Alburnett facing South Winneshiek and #2 Martensdale-St. Marys playing #10 Remsen St. Mary’s.

FORT DODGE — Two champions have been crowned while three more state titles will be decided later today at the state softball tournament in Fort Dodge.

== After a half-hour rain delay to start the night, top-ranked Collins-Maxwell pushed across two runs in the bottom of the sixth as they beat third-ranked Clarksville 4-3 in the Class 1A championship game. Mikayla Houge had 10 strikeouts to pick up the win for Collins-Maxwell and finished as the all-tournament team captain.

== Abby Flanagan fired a four-hit shutout, striking out 16 to lead top-ranked North Linn past Alta-Aurelia 3-0 in the Class 2A championship game. Flanagan’s 16 strikeouts ties the 2A championship game record.

== 3A, 4A, and 5A championship games are tonight:

Class 3A — 3:30 p.m. — #1 Davenport Assumption (40-2) vs. #2 Louisa-Muscatine (35-4)
Class 4A — 5:45 p.m. — #1 Carlisle (37-3) vs. #3 North Scott (27-4)
Class 5A — 8:00 p.m. — #1 Waukee (40-3) vs. #8 West Des Moines Valley (31-10)

CHICAGO (AP) — Nelson Cruz hit three of Minnesota’s five homers and finished with five RBIs, helping the AL Central-leading Twins beat the slumping Chicago White Sox 10-3. Cruz hit a solo drive in the first, a two-run shot in the third and another two-run homer in the fifth. He struck out swinging for the final out of the sixth, and then flied out to right leading off the ninth.

DES MOINES — Iowa natives Shelby Houlihan and Jenny Simpson will replay their dual in Saturday’s 1500 meter final at the USA Track and Field Championships in Des Moines. A year ago Houlihan passed Simpson on the final stretch to get the win in Drake Stadium. Houlihan came from behind on the final lap with a late kick to win her heat.

Houlihan won last year but says Saturday will be a new challenge.

Simpson advanced by finishing second in her heat and looks forward to the challenge of facing Houlihan again.

Simpson says last year’s race was a big learning experience.

DES MOINES — Justin Gatlin and Christian Coleman both advanced to Friday night’s semifinal in the 100 meters. Gatlin is the reigning world champion and advanced by finishing second in his heat.

Gatlin has already qualified for the World Championships and must decide is he will run in Friday’s semifinal and final.

Coleman is the world leader and advanced by winning his heat.

As the world leader Coleman does not feel added pressure to make the U-S team.

IOWA CITY — Iowa’s newest basketball player is working to fill a void in the guard court. Bakari Evelyn spent the past two years at Valparaiso and becomes the Hawkeyes’ first grad transfer under coach Fran McCaffery. He will add needed depth to a guard court hit by unexpected transfers and injuries.